


𝐀 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐎 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐄 — s. uchiha

by Premium_Package



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 36
Words: 79,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29010222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Premium_Package/pseuds/Premium_Package
Summary: ━━in which a girl needs a single touch from her soulmate to stop her neverending pain.Set in high school, (Y/n) and Sasuke experience their lives change encountering numerous obstacles.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. A Touch to Cure

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'm K, the author. This story is almost neverending, meaning that there is no "one" plot. Similar to slice-of-life anime/manga, this will have multiple arcs about real life and an infinite number of chapters. This is a slow-burn romance, a little cheesy, so I hope this fits your tastes. Enjoy, loves! <3

Started: December 2019

Ongoing

UNDER EDITING!!

💮 💮 💮

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍  
※ Hey! I'm K, nice to meet you! Welcome to A Touch to Cure! It's been one year since I officially began this story on Quotev. That's crazy, man.   
※ I hope you guys enjoy my story. Please comment, I love to hear what you guys have to say!

💮 💮 💮

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒  
━━in which a girl needs a single touch from her soulmate to stop her neverending pain.   
Set in high school, (Y/n) and Sasuke experience their lives change encountering numerous obstacles.

💮 💮 💮

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐒  
※ I do not own any of the characters in Naruto. All of the characters belong to the mangaka: Masashi Kishimoto! (Possible OOC moments.)  
※ I do not own you! You are your own person and nobody owns you (except for maybe your parents, legally.)   
※ My OCs are mine! If you would like to use them in some way, ask me first!

💮 💮 💮

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒  
※ There will be language throughout the book.   
※ There will also be pain factors in this and if you can't tolerate stuff related to it.  
※ Anything not mentioned here will have a warning at the beginning of the chapter.  
※ I do not write sexual stuff because I don't know anything about it. 

💮 💮 💮

𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐒  
※ This story starts off slowly! (Totally fine if you skip the first couple of chapters!)  
※ My chapters are long!!!  
※ I'm passionate about keeping my grammar, writing, and plot overall straight. I intend to make this an enjoyable story for you guys.   
※ I take criticism! If you notice anything wrong with my writing, plot, holes, etc, tell me so I can fix it so other readers can enjoy the story to a fuller extent.

Thanks for reading!

💮 💮 💮

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Also available on Quotev.


	2. Prologue

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" the girl cried, clutching her arm, tears streaming down her face and spilling down onto the floor. "Please, stop it!" 

The man towered above, a face of shock and horror stitched to his face. He didn't know how to react. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. The girl below him was screaming bloody murder as he tried to comprehend what was happening and why it was. 

"It hurts so much! Please! Please!!" She was relentless and her voice didn't falter as her cries only got louder. 

"I know, sweetie! I know!" There was a woman on the floor whose eyes were pools the reflected the light of the room. She enveloped her daughter, kissing her forehead many times as if it would tone down the pain. "People are coming to help you right now. They're coming to help you!" 

The girl, who recently turned 7, was shaking from the pain in her arm. Her sobs had already alerted the neighbors this late in the evening. Her form shivered even though the room was warm. The state she was in... it was tearing apart the mother and father who had no idea what to do. 

"It's gonna be okay, sweetie!" the mother reassured, choking on her words throughout her sobs. "Everything will be fine!" 

The girl believed her mother, she always did, but the burn that grew underneath her skin, that was in her bones, in her muscles seemed to affect her voice as well. She couldn't even muster a word. Maybe it was the pain, maybe it was the bawling, or maybe it was the fear that was bottled in the center of her chest. She remembered how it all started, but how it came to this? That question screamed louder than the burn of her arm. 

The father finally fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around the two females, rocking back and forth in attempts to ease any one of them, including himself. 

It wasn't until 1:48 a.m. when the ambulance finally arrived. It broke the couple's hearts to see the men carry her to the van all the while her screams got louder. 

That was the first night it all happened. And it all began from a paper cut she had caused for herself when she finished up her homework earlier that night. How things took such a drastic turn, nobody could seem to answer that question.


	3. I

The familiar Westminster chime rings throughout the school building. The shuffling of feet outside the classroom as the students rushed to their homerooms early in the morning. The general gossiping of the same students that surrounded you every morning, some new information to you, others, not so much. 

I rest my chin on the palm of my hand as I gaze out onto the school grounds, my reflection slightly tinting the green filled trees that swayed in the summer wind, how they cave over the sidewalks that surround our school. Above the tall bushes of leaves are tall city buildings stretching out into the distance, their distinct grey contrasting with the bright blue sky that hovered above our heads. Cotton balls dotted the vast blue, misty and flowy, dancing in the warm sun that was still in its rising. 

It was currently 8:30 on a typical Tuesday morning, early July. Nothing unusual. Our finals for our first semester will be coming up within the next two weeks. As much as I dreaded it, as much as anyone else would, I was looking forward to what was right behind it. Summer break. 

Although people would normally be excited about such a getaway from school, I felt different. Yes, of course, I want to get out of this place many of us call hell. However, I'm just waiting for the arrival of someone very special to me. It's been 2 years when she left my 9th year (making me a second year now), for business, and she finally moves back this summer. I can not tell you how ecstatic I am about it. I really do miss my mom. 

"I thought I failed that pop quiz!" a voice booms. "But I didn't do as bad as I thought! I actually got a C on it!" 

I shift my eyes from the scene out the window to the door at the front corner of the classroom. Ah, that makes sense. It's Naruto. 

Why am I saying it like that? Let me introduce you.

Uzumaki Naruto, one of the popular kids at school. The optimistic ball of sunshine our school needed. He's a little bit of a dunce, but I appreciate all he does. He's definitely the most caring, outgoing, helpful, people-person at our school. He has some sort of ability to make friends with anyone he meets. He's still a loud-mouthed idiot and could use a lot of manners, though. 

The spiky blonde shows a toothy grin, his hands resting on the nape of his neck, waltzing in through the doorway carelessly. 

"How low are your standards, Naruto?!" a pink-haired chick insults, crossing her arms.

The most popular girl of the school, Haruno Sakura, her female popularity tied with Ino, but we'll get to that later. Her short-pink hair, always with some sort of headband tied on her head, was as flowy as the cherry blossoms that fall during the end of spring-time. Her green eyes sparkled wherever she looked.

Don't let her looks fool you. Yes, she's super sweet and nice to almost everyone here. However, once you arise the bad side locked up inside of her, you might as well kiss yourself goodbye. She will pummel you to the ground, and I mean it. Her strength is so advanced, it's superhuman. The only time I've seen her ticked off was mainly because of Naruto. That's about the only bad side I want to see from her. That's not even the worst of it. 

"That's so mean, Sakura!" Naruto pouts. "It was a pop quiz, so I couldn't have studied. And I still got a C!" 

"Naruto, we knew about the test since last week," a new voice sighs.

Following the two previous ones before... Uchiha Sasuke. His obsidian hair and onyx black eyes contrasting with his pale complexion. (Yeah, I'm not that type of fanfic.) He has black hair somehow retaining its weird form. People make the comparison of it looking like a duck's ass, and I can't find a better description than that. He has dark voids for eyes that are rid of any emotion besides annoyance towards his friends. As simple as he looks, he's quite popular among the other girls in this class. I don't see what they see, but I'm not gonna tell them they're wrong. I'm more or less focused on the personalities of people. 

Again, don't let his appearance fool you. From the few, and I mean few, encounters I've had with him, he is very... rude. He doesn't give any care about anything, much like me, but the only difference is that I don't intentionally hurt other people's feelings. Granted, he's probably done with the everyday interaction of his fangirls twenty-four-seven and having to hang out with hair-for-brains Naruto. However, there are much nicer ways of shooing people away. He's just too arrogant.

Yet, he's my soulmate. 

Now, you're probably asking a lot of questions right now, so give me time to explain. 

Having a soulmate is not common, but it's not rare either. Many people can be found with the Soulmate Mark or the Mark for short. Not everyone has it, not even some soulmates. For example, my kindergarten friend had the Mark, but when she told her soulmate, he denied it and said he didn't have the Mark. After checking, her Mark was clear that it stated that guy. It left her upset, but she was young and didn't understand the whole concept of our world of soulmates. It's the same with me, or so far I think. My Soulmate Mark is clearly for Sasuke, but I don't think he has the Mark for me. 

Now, for how it works... Whenever you're around your soulmate, whatever you desire is what you feel. No, I don't mean you get money, or even, sadly, food. I mean, a physical or emotional aspect. Whether you feel happy around them, or your suicidal thoughts disappear the moment you touch them.

Regardless of their initials as a permanent tattoo, when I was around Sasuke for the first time, I felt it. It felt so good to be free of it. I didn't understand it at the time, but I finally confirmed it my second time around him. I felt free again. 

This quality of the Soulmate Mark is like a persuading argument point to make you want to constantly be with them, always. Except, I'm not like that. I remember reading this one post that I couldn't agree with more. They had said they didn't care about the people who obsessed over their soulmate, put all their time and effort into them, and that when their soulmate rejected them, everything was over for the person. They cared about the people that would live their life as a normal person and still try to achieve happiness and love, with or without their soulmate, or build a bond with their soulmates as best friends but not lovers.

I'm that type of person. I won't fall for you if you're my soulmate, you have to earn it just because I'm another person you think you can bond well with and not because you feel better when you're around your 'significant other'. I have more to worry about than love. Surely, I'm not the only one. 

If you're wondering, Sasuke does not know that he's my soulmate. I don't even know if he has the Mark or not. Even if he did, I doubt he would've noticed that I was his soulmate because whenever we met, it was always around tons of other people. I'm fine with that. We're worlds apart as it is, it would be almost impossible to make a solid connection even with the Soulmate Mark at play. 

Rolling my eyes with a sigh, I manage to tune the trio out. I sit in silence and wander through my empty brain for minutes before I feel the presence of someone. Craning my neck, I find my best friend since second grade. Hyuga Hinata. Her lavender colored eyes and her dark hair make it obvious she's a part of the Hyuga family, the owners of a big selling company. She smiles sweetly at me as she takes a seat. 

"Hey, Hina~" I coo with a smirk. 

"Hey, (N/n)," she replies, resting her head in the palm of her hand. 

"Did you get your homework done last night?" I ask as I move some hair out of my face. 

She nods. "Took me hours, though." 

"The math?" 

"The math," she confirms. She slumps back in the chair, eyes raised to the ceiling. "You?" 

"Science..." I sigh. "Orochimaru-sensei is a real pain when it comes to homework. Especially since we just took our test last class." 

"I heard a lot of people did really bad. I'm kind of nervous to see what I got..." Hinata plays with her pointer fingers. She does this often for multiple occasions. Nervousness, embarrassment, scared, guilty, ashamed, and a few others. 

"I'm sure you did fine. You always do." 

"Thanks, but..." the girl sighs. Hinata's self-confidence is so low. She always beats herself up on everything. "What did you get?" 

I kick back with a smile. "A solid 76!" 

Hinata's face falls and it's the most priceless sight I've ever seen. "Oh, (N/n), I'm so sorry..." 

I bite my tongue, trying to hold back my laughter, but to no avail. I launch forward, clutching my stomach as I let out waves of laughs, leaving Hina with the most confused expression I've ever seen her with. "You should've seen your face!" I squeal before clamping my mouth with my hand. 

"W-what?" she stammers, a light blush creeping to her cheeks. People begin to look over in our direction. "(N/n)...?" 

Once I catch my breath, I lean back. Oh, if I would've caught that on video. "No, I didn't get a 76." 

"Oh?" her face relaxes slightly. "Does that mean you did bet—" 

"Got a 69!" I grin like a dork, only to lose it when I feel a whip on my upper arm. 

"(N/n), stop that!" 

I snicker. "Fine, fine. I'm done. Nah, I got a 94 instead." 

"That's so good!" 

"Yeah, but not for my dad. He'll be a little pissed..." 

She frowns. "It's that same with my parents, too. With my family's company, I have to make a good impression for them. As long as I get all A's, I'm happy, but my parents expect more of me. I just hope I did all right..." 

Her family is the reason for her being so low on herself. They expect her to do so much of her, considering she's the oldest child in the family, as she has a younger sister. All of her father's expectations are extremely high. Of course, they would be, Hiashi is the owner of the company. All standards have to be met, including his own children. I had a sliver of pity for my friend, but that would make me a bad friend to look down on her like that. 

"Ah, I'm sure you did fine. You always do." 

She smiles shyly and tilts her head to the side. "I... I guess so..." 

My lips curve upwards in the corners as I stare at her. I may not have super outgoing friends, but I'm happy that we were able to find each other because I appreciate Hinata so much as a friend. Always there for me, encouraging me, supporting me, making me laugh, making me smile, making me a better me, but my favorite part about her? 

A devilish grin forms as I menacingly rub my palms together. "Hinata~" I sing, drawing out the last A in her name. "Would you mind getting me some scissors on Iruka-sensei's desk?" 

The girl looks at me, confuzzled once again. 

"I need to make a flower for Kakashi-sensei. Apparently, he's doing a project that involves hand-made crafts."

That isn't a lie. It is true that Kakashi-sensei, one of the teachers here at the school, wants to take the next class periods easily before taking our final. Since we're not allowed to do 'nothing', he's had to scavenge in the back of his small brain to find something to 'keep us busy' since that's what 'teachers do' or something like that. 

"Oh, I heard about that. Sure, I can get you scissors—" As soon as the sentence cuts off, I know she finally realized my sudden request. Her face flushes red. She whips her head to me, sending a chilling glare that seemed to give me a headache. The threatening of her form is ruined by the loud gulp that somehow managed to pass through her esophagus. Her eyes shift back to the figure standing by the teacher's desk and her blush only deepens. 

You've probably caught on by now. Don't tell me who your crush is. No, sending you up to get scissors while your crush is near them isn't the worst I can do. I just know Hinata well, and she'll go KABOOM! if anything involves Uzumaki Naruto! 

That's right. Ever since the third grade, Hina developed these feelings for this certain blonde boy. The reason why? I never found out, and I still have no clue why she'd fall for an idiot like that. Except that that's not all true because I used to have a crush on him in seventh grade... That's beside the point! 

"Please, Hina~?" I sing again. To help further persuade her that I'd actually be doing a flower project because I would never do these, I pull out a slip of paper and begin to fold it. "I'm not really sure how well my teeth will work." 

Her brows knit together as she contemplates further on whether or not she should fulfill the deed. After moments of conflict, she finally takes her first step to approach the desk. She sneaks quietly as not to catch the eye of her oh-so-beloved. All while holding her breath, she snatches the scissors and scurries back next to me unnoticed. 

I bite my tongue to keep my chuckles within me as I gratefully take the scissors from her and begin to cut. I pause mid-cut on one of the triangles I was going to remove, tap my chin as if I were in a deep thought process, and finally make my final blow. "Oh, wait, this isn't due until next week! Haha, silly me. Here, Hina, I don't need these scissors anymore." 

Now the consequences. 

Hinata gives me yet another glare, with veins seeming to pop out from under her eyes. She's only ever shown me her 'dark' side since she feels I understand her the most. As much as that's a compliment, it also has its downsides, like the fear of what she'll do next and all the damages coming with it. 

Trying to keep my façade up with the most innocent smile I can, I muster and minimize the shaking of my voice. However, before either one of us moves to kill or survive, the last bell rings, and our teacher, Iruka-sensei, enters. He is a middle-aged man with a scar along the bridge of his nose he received from when he was younger. His hair is pulled back into a high ponytail, spiking out in numerous directions. He sets down the papers on his desk as he turns to face the class. "All right, sit down, everyone. Sit down!" he sighs, rubbing his eyes. 

The students do as they're told, some ending their conversations, whilst others move into detail in theirs. The responsible students, such as Hinata and I, and few others scattered across the room, pay attention to the announcements Iruka-sensei has to give. 

"If everyone has their assignments from last time, I'd like to collect those, please. So pass them up to the front if you will. I'll be grading those during lunch and have them handed back to you by the end of the day today." 

I silently cheer to myself. The reason why I like Iruka-sensei is that he gets the grading done in short amounts of time, setting expectations for the other teachers. It really helps me keep track of what I need to work on in his classes. 

I pass my assignment to the person in front of them and do the same with those being passed up to me. 

"I also have your tests Orochimaru-sensei had last class and the graded homework assignment from Yoshino-sensei. To say the least, you all did poorly on that. I'll have to set up a math tutoring session for the few of you that aren't doing so well." 

Groans echoed through the classroom just from hearing the word 'tutor'. That was like the word for torture. 

Iruka-sensei rolls his eyes. "Remember that during club activities after school today are canceled for the performance of our choir. If anyone would like to attend, the concert begins at 6. If you are not going to attend, study for your upcoming finals in all of your classes. You have two weeks until finals begin, I suggest you get to it right away." 

Hinata and I share looks and smile at one another. We could take the finals now if we were given the option to. 

"For the 7 of you in my homeroom that got detention," he begins, mumbling afterward how that's a record, "your term will be spent from the moment school ends until 5:30." 

One of the students lets the weight of their head take over and a loud thunk! fills the room. The room giggles in response to the poor student's action. 

"And final announcement before we begin cleaning, do not forget about your packet for Kurenai-sensei. She had given you those last week and they are due by tomorrow morning. She says she'll accept any that are done as of now. She's free during lunch today if you want to give it to her then. Otherwise, you'll see her tomorrow morning. Now, cleanup duties will be assigned." 

As Iruka-sensei begins listing names and their object for today, I lean over to Hinata and whisper, "I hope you get Naruto as a partner today~" 

"(N/n)!" she whisper-screams. 

"You know you're hoping, too." 

She stays silent and leans away from me, admitting defeat. 

Iruka-sensei clears his throat to announce the next pair, one that dreaded me as soon as the two names fell to my ears. "(Y/n) and Kiba, you'll work on the bookshelf in the back." 

Shit.


	4. II

"(Y/n) and Kiba, you will be working on the bookshelf in the back. And Kiba, I mean it." 

My eyes slowly drift over to the said kid standing up confidently. I feel my insides drop. 

Inuzuka Kiba is the athletic kid of the school. Doing just about any sports club he can do at once. His messy brown hair is never tamed and his sharp black eyes always make him look alert and, quite honestly, pissed, which is usually what scares me. Much like any athlete, he has naturally tanned skin no matter what time of the year it is. If those don't give his appearance away, just observe his attire. Nothing is straightened, folds in about every place and not even an ounce of effort put into trying to look nice. It's as if he had just rolled out of bed realizing he's running late for school.

Even his personality can be a little unnerving. He's very impulsive and short-tempered, giving him most of his confidence against his opponents on the courts and fields as if his rage was his solution to everything. Oh, and in class, he always messes around which is why he never gets anything done. 

It's not that I hate him. You probably got that vibe, but my encounters with him never ended well and I've always had some sort of grudge for it. Kiba is nice and sweet at times, but his recklessness just... doesn't always do good. 

Of course, it might just be a personal problem and my luck by just being around him. 

I click my tongue and head towards the back. The bookshelves were only three cubbies tall and ran from one end of the classroom to the windowed wall. A lot of the students' backpacks filled the first couple of cubes, but books, tool kits, paperwork, puzzles, games, and other thingamajigs scattered in the rest. A chalkboard covered two-thirds of the wall area, with a bulletin board to its right, and a tall locker to its left, sealing off this section so nothing would cover the back door. 

With a sigh, I collect the cleaning supplies and immediately get to work. Notice how I said 'I'? Yeah. Kiba sits on the other end of the bookshelf, scrolling through his phone... or playing games. One of the two. I'm used to this sort of action, though. I've been his classmate for a long time, and with time I've built a lot of tolerance for this dude. 

"Yes! I love cleaning up the boards!" 

There's no need for me to crane my neck to see who'd shouted. I already told you this, I've had a crush on this dude in 7th grade for 3 years! That's enough time for me to have studied a lot of his actions, remarks, and all of the sorts. No, I did not stalk, so don't you dare accuse me of that! It's just I used to always take peaks in class and tried to listen in on everything he said and did. Ah, that painful times when I used to have a crush. Hated that. 

I start clearing the shelves and so I can wipe the inside of the cubbies. At first glance, there seem to be many, but they aren't hard to clean. After all, we don't have to cleanse the stuff inside of them. This is a quick and easy job for me. Although, it would go a lot faster if Kiba here even wiped down one column. Three cubbies! That's all that I ask! 

"Aye! Sasuke you're my partner today! How great is that?" Naruto cheered. His only response was a grunt. 

"Aha... this stuff is so easy to clean up!" 

"Naruto, you don't take that off." 

"What? Yes, I do!" 

"No, you don't. This still has the rest of the week's schedule, so you keep it on the board." 

There's a moment of silence before Naruto almost has a mental breakdown. "Agh!" 

"How about I work here and you wipe down the chalkboard?" Sasuke suggests. 

"But I can do this!" Naruto complains. 

The sound of paper flopping back and forth in the air can be heard from every corner of the room. "You just proved you can't." 

"You suck," is all Naruto replies with before walking right past me and towards the cloths and bucket of soapy water which happened to lay right next Kiba.

Can you... can you see where this is going already? Do you sense the storm about to form? Because I can. 

I move onto the next column of cubbies, away from the two boys whom I know will begin their fight, what they call a joke. Accidentally, I must've brushed up on someone, because whatever my back felt when I shifted is gone. It takes me less than a second to remember that Sasuke, Naruto's cleaning partner, is over clearing the bulletin board. 

When I look to mutter a small apology for bumping into him, I just take note of that same, neutral grimace placed on display. His eyes don't even spare me a glance as he silently eyes the two troublemakers before returning to his task like it meant nothing. 

Typical. 

I shake my head disapprovingly. I then focus most of my attention to my task, the back of my mind is panicking and praying that I don't get caught in the boys' little game. I spare some of my attention to watch what goes on with Kiba and Naruto, as a way to be aware of all the events about to go down. 

"Naruto!" Kiba shouts. Even without looking, I can tell a boy had a smirk on their face. Which boy? That's up to you since both are very plausible. 

"Oh, dude! Sorry about that. Didn't think the water would flick off of this." Insert Naruto giving a toothy and dorky grin. Again, picked up on this during my 3-year spree. 

Water swishes and I almost hear Kiba giggle. I turn my head for a second to see him flick his fingers in Naruto's face. Naruto whips his head to him, a look of surprise written all over. How he could not expect that, I do not know.

Kiba shrugs, saying, "Sorry, didn't think the water would flick onto your face." 

Hinata, who always watches Naruto, turns to me and gives me a look of concern. I mouth to her: It's fine. I'll be okay, but that's a total lie. Hinata mouths: If you need anything... I nod in response and give her a thumbs-up, though I might have to look into her offer. 

There's a little bit a ruckus alarming me over to the side, followed by chuckles. That is when the classroom becomes a battlefield.

"Ohoho, you're on!" Naruto challenges as he flicks the cloth at Kiba, the fabric smacking the boy across the face. 

"Let's go, Naruterd!" Kiba snaps as he cups a full hand in the water and throws it at the chuckling Naruto. His chuckling doesn't last long. 

Naruto shoves the washcloth all over Kiba as the brunette continues to splash water onto the boy. Had I not been in the near background, this would've been amusing to watch. However... 

Water drops dot my face from the few splashes that somehow missed Naruto. An annoyed expression paints my face as I contemplate on how to react to all of this: join the fight and show them who's boss, yell at them to stop it, or just stay out of it. As appealing as the first two sounds, my introverted self can't help but cave within the last option. Wiping my face dry, I try my absolute best to ignore it all, or at least avoid it, and try to get my cleaning job done. 

As if I should've even considered it. 

I see quick movement in the corner of my eye and my instincts kick in. Only, they activate a little too late. I pop to my feet and try to step back, but it was already on me by the time I shifted. Now I stand, drenched in the soapy water that should've been used for the chalkboard rather than a student. My breath hitches as I keep my head down, my glare strong enough to make a hole in the wood. I would be scolding them right now, but the eyes. Everyone in the classroom hushed as soon as the wave made its sound, and not everyone has their eyes on me, drilling through my back. I stifle the urge to gulp as not to make anyone think I'm freaking out. 

The only thing worse is that I'm beginning to feel cold. This is the feeling that scares me the most.

My clothing sticks to me, the cold liquids stitching skin to the fabric, sending chills throughout my whole body. Even droplets from my hair slip onto my already wet clothing, and I can feel the icy touch for a split second more. It scares me. 

Before I let any of those troublemakers make their way to me, I slowly drop to the floor and continue working on my task. I shift things over so as not to get wet by the waterfalls that spilled from the top of the bookshelf. If I don't clean this fast, the craftmanship will end up ruined. With a sigh, I hop back to my feet and walk over to the cabinet, brushing past the two without giving them anything. Knowing those two, they're probably holding back their euphoria, but not because of my reaction, but because Iruka-sensei had his eyes on them. 

When I stand up to attain the cleaning supplies, I noticed that Sasuke wasn't behind me when the incident went down. It seems that, right before this happened, he had taken a step back to evacuate the scene—leaving me to bear its consequences. I'm so grateful he saved me. 

After retrieving plenty of paper towels, I start to pick up all the water, letting the rough disposable towels absorb the water. By this time, the class had gone back to their chitter-chatter selves and disregarded the whole incident. That's when my confidence was able to pick up. 

I grab the now dripping towels and head over to throw them away. However, I make a detour and approach the boys instead. 

Sorry, Hinata. 

Naruto chokes as he tries not to giggle on my way over to him. "O-oh, hey, (Y/n)!" His lips form into a squiggle of a line as he struggles to keep his laughter within him. 

"Oh, hey," I reply, forcing a fake smile. 

"Sorry about getting you drenched over there..." 

"Yeah, me, too." My smile drops. 

"What?" 

I slap the ball of drenched paper towels smack on his face, watching as the water rivers slither down his chin and dribbling onto his shirt. I shift the pile up onto the top of his head and squeeze a little more, making waterfalls around his whole head. His sparkling blue eyes stare in horror at my furious ones. 

With my finishing blow, I flick the puddles of water off my hands and into his face, and with a devilish smirk, I say, "Sorry, didn't think the water would flick onto your face." I dry my hands on his shirt and walk back towards the bookshelves and returning to work as if none of it had ever happened. 

"Dude..." Kiba says. 

For the first time, Naruto is speechless. The sounds of his shoes shift before he makes his way to me. I send a glare up at him to make sure he wasn't going to return the favor I did for him. Thinking that maybe I should give my undecided attention to him, I stand up with my arms crossed. 

"Naruto, just leave her be," Kiba attempts to convince, a hand on his shoulder. 

"No, I'm going to apologize." 

"Dude, you take one more step toward her—" 

"I said I'm going to apologize. Now, let go—" Naruto yanks his shoulder away from Kiba. 

He's so ever-persistent, though. Kiba continues with the physical ways to keep Naruto at bay, but nothing works. It only gets worse.

There was nothing I could do to react. 

Kiba gets launched forward as Naruto tries an aggressive shrug off once again. Why they felt the need to go to such extents to keep the blonde away from me, I don't know, but it just led to worse consequences. That's where it all tumbles down.


	5. III

(N/n) = nickname Hinata gave you  
(J/n) = joking name Naruto gives you (something you don't like)

I endured three things, all of them unpleasant.

One, a body. I felt an elbow to the stomach, a sudden jolt as the side of Naruto clashed with mine. The violent breakaway when trying to get Kiba off of him caused the boy to trip and head my way, his body tipping in my direction at a speed I was unable to keep up with.

Two, my arm slamming into the bookshelf, a result of trying to turn away. A sharp pain builds in my arm for it had slammed against the sharp edge of the shelf. Knowing me, it'll definitely leave a nasty bruise. Naruto's body had clashed with mine before I could slip away to safety. I tipped over. Even though I moved a bit, I wasn't far enough away from the shelving and suffered its attack.

Three, the floor as it made its way up to me, or as it seemed. I slowly fell down, gravity tugging at my body quite harshly. My head flew back and had slammed into the ground a little too hard, immediately sending a throbbing pain through my head and neck.

Overall, it was a disaster. Pain filled my entire body. 

Stars dance across my vision momentarily as my lids felt heavy suddenly. There's a sharp pain in my arm from where it got hit. My back, sore. My stomach tensing from the sudden impact. At first, any normal person would be fine with this event. The casual, "Oh, I fell. Let's put on a bandaid, pummel those boys, and get back to work." I would be able to handle it, or that's how I would imagine me to be.

However, it's different for me. So much different. 

My eyes widen with the sudden worry for what's to come next. Only, I can't do anything about it as both boys still lie on me. I bite my tongue, hard, to keep from exploding. Not now, not now, not now, my thoughts ramble. Please, not here, not now. Wait just a minute, please! 

Kiba stumbles once he gets up and offers a hand to Naruto. The blonde takes it and hops to his feet, my legs free of his weight. 

I start to get up, nothing happening yet, until the spark that flew through my knee. Only then did I confirm that it would be an immediate reaction. My breath catches in my throat as my legs wobble. My hand tightly grips the bookshelf, but the throbbing pounds where the blue and purple slowly form in a mushy mix. 

"(Y/n), I'm so sorry—" 

I turn away from him and head for my backpack, in a cubby down a few. Fighting back the urge to scream out in pain as the fire continues to spread from the side of my knee and up along my thigh, I come to a dreadful realization. Oh Jashin, it's going to be one of those. I sling the backpack on my shoulder and turn around, preparing myself. That's when a felt a hand on my upper arm. 

"I'll take you to the bathroom," Hinata whispers, worry evident in her glossy eyes. She looks more distressed than I do. 

Both of us ignoring the two boys as they try to talk to us, we head to the door. Iruka-sensei nods as he gets up from helping a student with work and storms straight for the two boys. Apparently he'd been out of the room for some time before which is why he comes after the damage was already done. Hinata rolls the door shut behind her, and once I'm out of view, I almost collapse on the ground. 

"(Y/n)!" Hinata cries, sliding the bag off of my shoulder and onto hers. "Come on." 

She allows me to lean on her shoulder as we make it to the restrooms. Both of us get into the largest stall at the end of the bathroom stall, slam the door shut behind us, and then it all let's loose. 

Through clenched teeth, I groan loudly. I had fallen against the wall, holding my knee and thigh with one arm and my stomach with the other. The pain continues to swallow me, my blood running like lava, burning everything in my thigh, the heat seeping down into my bones. The surface of my skin numbed with the small objects that continued to manifest in my muscles, the objects like rough, pointy rocks, a light sting emitting from the punctures the points made, allowing the fire to flow through. Even though it nagged on me so much, as drastic and bizarre as all of this sounds, it's nothing of the unusual. 

Ever since the age of 7, I was diagnosed with Central Pain Syndrome or CPS for short. It's a rare disease, nothing tied to genetics or something you're born with. It's connected to neurological injuries or damages such as strokes, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, or any brain and spinal trauma or injury. I developed mine through two back injuries when I was younger. Once as a baby, and the other when I thought that doing a front flip off the trampoline's edge was a bright idea. 

You're probably still wondering what this syndrome even does. Sorry, I'm terrible at explaining and introducing things, as you can tell. 

It's a pain-related symptom. I'm not sure how to explain this lightly without jumping tracks to different trains. CPS is nerve-related, especially with pain and numbness, generally targeted to arms, legs, and face, or large portions of your body.

For pain, it can amplify the discomfort or pain. The pain can have stabbing or stinging feelings, but it's more of a burning sensation that tears you apart. However, that's not what's bad, it's that when the pain comes, it's completely unpredictable. Either the pain sparks immediately, like any other pain, or it's delayed.

Imagine hitting your arm. It would hurt, right? Well, with CPS, it might not. You might not feel the soreness for the first few days, weeks, months, or even years. CPS has that disorder where your nerves have difficulty with its pain sensors. The delay is frustrating, and it sucks since you never know when the pain will strike or what the agony is connected to. 

As for numbness, it's the same, but it's not normally connected to an event. Sometimes it is, but more often than not... The bright side is that I never have to experience numbness in my torso. Only my arms and legs, and rarely ever in my head. Still sucks since I can, again, never predict when it might happen, but so far it hasn't been extremely drastic. Only once a month does something even occur. Once a year does something severe wash over me. 

Other cautions I need to be aware of is temperature, which can have a large effect on the severity of the pain or numbness. Colder temperatures have a greater impact on the level, but hot temperatures can also be dangerous. I'm surprised the cold water from earlier didn't give any sort of sting, but I guess I should be thankful. 

Hinata gives me two pills which were in a plastic Ziploc easily accessible in the frontmost pouch of my bookbag. She grabs her water bottle so I don't have to worry about the discomfort of dry swallowing. The girl's brows are furrowed as she tries to puzzle everything together. "I should've stopped it when I had the chance..." 

I shake my head. "No! No, you're fine. Trust me." 

"But—" 

"Hinata," I grit, sealing my eyes shut as I shakily exhale. "I'm fine." 

Had contact also not been a problem, Hina would have enveloped me into a great big hug. Only, with CPS, even the slightest contact can make a huge impact. When the pain is in action, any type of physical interaction can worsen the already active ones. 

I force a grin to reassure as I tilt my head back against the tiled bathroom wall. My eyes lie on the kernel ceiling, the bumps' shadows casting interesting shapes from the rectangular-shaped lights. Mesmerized by the patterns, I slowly start to feel lighter in both pressure and tension.

After about what felt like hours when in reality it was 15 minutes, Hina asks, "Homeroom will end in 10 minutes. Wanna stay here for the rest or are you ready to head back?" 

"We can... go back," I manage to say. 

Hina nods and helps pick up. We get up, my leg feeling a little sore from the whole incident, and make our way back to the classroom. Everyone had finished their cleaning duties, which was a relief, and were now milling around, using their free time to their advantage. As we enter the class, it's no surprise people lay their eyes upon us. We have been in the bathroom for 15 minutes if that isn't anything suspicious or concerning. 

Oh, I should probably mention that not many people know that I have CPS. It's not important enough for me to bring it up to people, raise a ruckus, and have people treat me differently because of it. I let Hinata know because she's my best friend and I'm positive she won't treat me differently or that I'm someone disabled. My parents know, obviously, as they were there when I had my first encounter with it. Along with them, a few of the teachers that I like also know about it. Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Jiraiya-sensei, the school nurse Kaori-san, and the headmaster of this school, Tsunade-sensei (or kouchou-sensei for principal since we can't speak her name to her...).

Otherwise, none of the students know about my disease. Rough, but it's manageable to keep it silent and pretend to make up stories for myself. Besides, Hina and I find it to be the funniest thing when someone asks if there's something the matter with me. 

Anyway, because people don't know, they get hundreds of suspicions, assumptions, and questions crossing their minds all at once and then finally settle on this one conclusion that could be the only possible solution to match the circumstances. After having been through numerous encounters of their postulations, I've grown an immunity to their glares, confused, shocked, concerning expressions. Hinata has, as well. 

"(Y/n), Hinata, the rest of the class time is—" 

"(Y/n)!!" the familiar, annoying voice whimpers. 

Unlike Hina, who is now a tomato at seeing the sight of her crush stumbling towards us, I cross my arms and drop my eyebrows and lips into a terrifying glower. Usually, my scowl would frighten anyone, yet the dunce seems to be completely unfazed by it. 

"(Y/n)! I'm so sor—" 

"Save it," I spit, rolling my eyes to the opposite end of where Naruto stands. 

There's a tight grip on my chin as it whips back over to him, whose face is inches away from my face, forcing me to gaze at him. 

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened. Kiba and I were messing around and we shouldn't have. We were supposed to be cleaning. And we ended up..." He pulls away and shoves his hands into his pockets. 

"Water-fighting," I nudge, intrigued Naruto could form sentences this long. 

"Yes. And you got caught up in it which was a mistake. And then we made it seem like getting you wet was a joke when it shouldn't have. And then you did that... which I totally deserved! But I shouldn't have apologized after that because it makes me feel like a jerk... saying sorry to you after you get me back. I felt like an asshole." 

"You were." 

"(N/n)..." Hinata mutters. I can tell she wants me to hear him through, which I should. See, Hinata sees the best in everyone no matter what they've done. Since Naruto is her crush, she's pushed those feelings beyond to never see him as someone who would intentionally harm. 

She's not wrong, though. Naruto really isn't the type of person to do that. Still...

I uncross my arms, placing them on my hips and tightly close my mouth, ushering the blonde to continue. 

"I still feel like an asshole. So I'm really sorry." He sighs, a sort of serious tone embedded to his face. "Will you forgive me?" 

Not only was the pressure of Naruto's gaze strong, but Hinata's was shooting through me as well. This feeling is uncomfortable and I'm often met with it in situations where I have to interact with other human beings. Goddammit. 

"I guess we'll have to see." With that, I stroll right past him and towards my seat. Well, that is until a palm clasps on my shoulder and yanks me backward, to which I spin on my heel to keep my balance. 

"I can't take that." 

"Can't take what?" 

"Take... that! I-I need you to forgive me." 

I look him up and down, shrugging his hand off of me. "And why's that?" 

"Because—"

"Of your pride?" 

He reels back in surprise. "What? No! Because I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that someone out there won't accept a sincere apology." 

My jaw drops. Since when could he form that long of a sentence? It sounded grammatically correct, too? Ah, never mind. 

"Mm, still no." 

"Come on!" Naruto wines. "What do I have to do to get you to forgive me?" 

I tense, an idea forming inside of my head. Jashin, I'm so selfish, aren't I? "I don't know. What can you do?" 

"I'll do anything!" 

"Anything?" I smirk as Naruto flinches. "Anything at all to get an apology from me?" 

He gulps pretty hard at what I just relayed to him. "I... uh." 

"Alright. I don't forgive you." I plop myself in the chair I sat in before everything went down this morning. 

"Fine!" Naruto whips around to sit right in front of me, elbows propped onto my desktop, his hands dragging through his hair as he exhales deeply. "I'll do anything to get your forgiveness." 

A grin spreads on my face. "You said it, not me." 

"B—"

"I don't know what I want right now, so shoo now. I have to finish up homework." 

"Bu—" 

"Go!" I demand, playfully pushing him off. "I made you a deal, what more do you want?" 

He giggles, yet another toothy grin appearing on his already dorky face. "Nothing. I'll see ya later, (J/n)." 

My senses tingle after hearing that. I shoot a pissed and evil glare his way after he pulled that with me. Had he not scurried away, I would've strangled him right then and there. (J/n) is not a nickname I'll tolerate. Oh, I'll get him back for sure. With that favor he owes me. After all, he said anything. I'll give him anything.


	6. IV

The school day progressed as usual. Boring, monotonous classes rolling slowly as we receive new assignments and homework or study guides for the finals coming up for the end of our first semester. It's safe to say that things were looking well.

Up until the last few minutes of school, sitting in Social Studies, when things just fumbled together and my weekend plans about crashed. Madara-sensei had just finished his lesson on World War II and the points of view from the numerous countries during it. Now that we've gone over the same history we learned in 7th grade but in deeper detail, our teacher has the bright idea to give us a presentation project right before the weekend. Now this pain? It's almost worse than the agony I felt earlier today. Almost. 

"But Madara-sensei!" one of the students complained. 

"No buts. It's the last grade you're going to get before the final. It might help some of you bring your grades up," he says, eyeing certain students which make them cower in fear. "Besides, you'll get to present with partners." 

The class seemed to lighten up with that, few squealing out or shouting phrases of excitement. Whenever there's a presentation involving partners or groups, everyone gets excited. It's the time where the students can present their favorite memes to the class or make inappropriate jokes to gain any sort of popularity or attention to be remembered by. It's entertaining to watch since they never pertain to the topic. It also makes it easier for me to present since no one ever remembers mine—as it tends to be boring compared to all the other ones. 

"I will be choosing your partners." 

Just like that, the whole mood drops through all floors of the building. Including mine. Now I'm going to be partnered with someone who does memes for a living, making me do all the work, and then because they're so bad at presenting it, I get a bad grade and I'm remembered as 'so and so's partner'. 

"I hope I get paired with Sasuke," a girl behind me whispers. 

"Me, too." 

The little argument begins of who will and who won't be paired with the oh-so-famous Uchiha Sasuke. Honestly, besides his looks, would the girls really be falling for him? Is that really all they see in him? Eh, maybe I shouldn't judge too harshly, but still... to me, he's never seemed like the kindest of sorts or just as much likable. 

"Ino and Kiba." That's the first pair to be announced.

Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura's best friend and rival, one of Sasuke's 'followers', the blonde who has half her face covered by her... bangs? We'll call it that. I say she's considerably nice, helpful, and encouraging. However, she can definitely be that bitch sometimes. Since she's paired with Kiba, I can only imagine that gossip that will spill around the school by the morning of tomorrow. Oh, boy. 

"Shikamaru and Choji." 

There are multiple gasps from the room. Yeah, that makes sense. Somehow, those two, best friends since Jashin knows when, happened to be partnered for the sixth time in a row. Who wouldn't be surprised at those odds? Even the two of the boys look shocked. Choji is the only one who isn't able to contain his excitement. 

Forgot the introductions again! Let's rewind a little, shall we? 

Nara Shikamaru is the smartest in the grade, by the way. Never gets into trouble, probably the only one who doesn't say "I want to die" on the daily, and is the only one with common sense. He's pretty calm, doesn't care about anything, and all-in-all, the only one who I could probably rely on in this school besides Hinata. 

His best friend, Akimichi Choji, is one of the most relatable here. Food is his middle name, eat is his motto. Don't judge him by his looks, rotund built, long spiky caramel-colored hair, and always eating a bag of potato chips. As unbelievable as it is, he's pretty fit, topping Kiba for that matter. Unlike him, Choji is one of the sweetest people here if you ignore most of his sarcastic remarks, again, why he's relatable. 

"Sai and Shino." 

The two quietest of the class next to Hinata. I don't know much about Sai, even his last name. All I can say about him is that he's quite reserved and likes art. He's pretty close to Naruto, but I've never seen them together outside of school.

Aburame Shino is very mysterious alongside Sai. You can never tell what he's feeling, and it's not like you can tell by his eyes since he hides them behind his sunglasses all day, regardless if it's sunny or not. It kind of creeps me out. They both radiate the 'silent-but-deadly' type, so I try not to mess with them. 

"Hinata and Naruto." 

Oh, quite the delightful surprise~.

My neck snaps toward Hinata. Having her paired with her crush, oh, her reaction is going to be so good. Look at that! She's literally making tomatoes jealous! Eyes wide enough to fill the universe, jaw dropped enough to brush the floor. That poor girl. She doesn't even realize this is the perfect opportunity to get close to him. Guess who's going to make sure that ship sails? This gal, that's right! 

Her eyes shift to mine and she simply hides her face behind her hands, only peaking her eyes throw the slits of her fingers.

I smile and give her a thumbs-up, not entirely responding to her cry. 

"(Y/n) and Sakura." 

My head moves back to the front at the recognition of my name. At first, my mind is simply blank. Then, I process what he had just said very, very slowly.

Me... and. Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. I can't be with... with her! No, there's nothing wrong with Sakura, I like her! She's extremely smart and great at projects like these, but she's popular. You know me. I'm an introvert, someone who likes to avoid all of the attention and drama and would rather listen in. Having Sakura as a partner increases the chances of me getting involved in 'popular activity' as I like to call it. It would take away from my free time—anime, manga, sleeping, music, and my other tiny hobbies I do when I'm bored. 

"... and Sasuke."

I was so in-thought about my dilemma with Sakura that I didn't get to hear the complete last pair. Although, whoever he ended up being partnered with did not make the female population of the class content. 

"Damn it, I wanted to be with Sasuke..." the same girl from behind me whined. 

"Jashin. He just steals him from us. How dare he." 

"Sounds kind of gay." 

The girls snicker at the last remark, and that pisses me off. I suffice the urge to torque back and slap both of them across the face. What's wrong with being gay, huh? Nothing, absolutely nothing! Until I remembered that what they said is a social saying teenagers speak for no apparent reason, even if it doesn't relate to homosexuality. People are confusing.

Madara-sensei clears his throat as a signal for the class to quiet down. "Get with your partners, and I will be coming around with the rubrics for the presentation and your topic." 

There's a slow uprise as people shuffle to move to their partners. Not a second later does the walking cherry blossom pop up next to me with her cutesy smile stitched to her face. "Hey, (Y/n)!" 

Suppressing my shudder so it isn't noticeable, I plaster a grin. "Hey, Sakura." 

She slides herself into the desk seat in front of me, having her back face the desk so she would be able to face me. "We don't talk a lot, do we?" 

I giggle nervously, using a singular finger to scratch my cheek. "Yeah..." 

"Well, maybe we can, now!" Shit. "I mean, we can get to know each other through our presentation, which by the way..." She turns to Madara-sensei who is handing out two slips of paper, one larger than the other one. "Madara-sensei!" 

"Yes, Sakura?" Madara-sensei responds monotonously. 

"When is the presentation due?" 

Many of the groups in the room quiet down, others... not so much. Guess they'll find out the hard way. 

"It's due the week before finals, which gives you two weeks to work on this. Yes, I will give you time in class to work on this project, but I expect some time outside of class to be used for this." 

"Thank you, Madara-sensei!" 

Sakura is in a really good mood, it seems like. I wonder what happened. Yeah, yeah, she's usually ecstatic like this, the usual optimistic and jocose person she is. Today... I'm getting the vibes that she's in a better mood, livelier than yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. She just appears to be more rapturous. Then again, knowing the little bit about her, it wouldn't be hard to change her entire mood in three seconds. 

Whipping back to me, she cheers, "Two weeks! That's the perfect amount of time for us to become buddy-buddies!" 

"Ah..." My voice shakes. 

"If Naruto can befriend anyone in a singular day, I can best friend anyone in two weeks." 

I chuckle lightly. "I have faith that you can." 

"You have to try, too!" she accuses, pointing a finger straight at me. 

"How about we work on the project first," I recommend with sweatdrop dripping down the side of my head from the excitement Sakura radiates and the nervousness and pressure it places on me. 

"Fine, fine! Then once we finish it... then could we—" 

I sigh but naturally, for some reason, a smile forms on my face. "I'll think about it." 

"Thanks!" Jashin, this girl... 

"Ladies," Madara-sensei chimes as he comes over to us. "This is the rubric for the assignment. If you have any questions about it, ask me. You can more or less bend the requirements to fit your needs for the topic, but make sure they still pertain to the page." 

Sakura and I nod in sync. "Yep." 

"Your topic for this project will be exploring how families reacted to this situation in one of the countries. Please choose a normal family. I've had some past groups go... beyond that." I can tell from the hesitation in his dialogue was because the students who didn't choose a 'normal' family probably did something to scar everyone forever, including Madara-sensei, or it was just extremely stupid (which doesn't surprise me). 

"What resources are we allowed to use?" I question. 

"Whatever you need to get sufficient information." 

"Can we talk to families who didn't experience the War? Like, if they had a similar experience or experiences?" Sakura taps her chin. Her version of resources must be face-to-face conversations, which will be useful for our research. 

Madara-sensei looks off into the distance as if trying to recall something important. "It'll depend on what you gather. If the information will end up relating to our class's overall topic, then, yes, that should be fine. But don't force yourself to use that information." 

Sakura nods. I can see the spark flickering in her head as she's already building a list of people she could talk to. That's the brains in her at work. Kind of thankful I got someone who could do work like this. It's a lot less stressful for me. 

My eyes scan the rubric quickly to make sure there are no other questions I need to ask. Nothing seems to pop into my head. I share a glance with Sakura who raises a brow. She looks at me as I wiggle the paper. Knowing what I was getting across immediately, she shakes her head no. 

"That's all, Madara-sensei. Thank you." 

"Anytime," he says and strolls to the next group. 

"Nice! We have such an easy topic," Sakura exclaims. 

Actually, she was right. Out of all of the points of view we could've adopted, we got families, which is pretty easy considering we all live in one. Most of us. Not assuming or anything... We can use people today to talk to without having to search super hard and it's easy to find reports online about the people during the time. 

"I actually have a family member that lived through World War II," I share. 

"Really?" 

"My grandma. She's in the states right now." 

"That's okay. I have family here that can help, too." 

"That will be helpful," I say, gazing out the window. "So, when do you wanna get together to work on this?" 

"I have an outlook for the first couple of days," she starts. 

See what I mean about being smart and on top of things? I glide my eyes over to hers.

"I was thinking that we get whatever information we can today and tomorrow, after school, individually. It doesn't have to be in-person research, online newspapers, articles, reports, biographies, anything will do. We need a good variety. Then, Saturday or Sunday, depending on our status, we'll meet up and share what we gathered and decide whether it will be useful to the topic or not. Then we can plan the outlook for next week from there." 

So glad it was her as my partner. I regret complaining earlier just because she was popular. Completely forgot how quick-witted she was.

"That's a good plan. I can send you my schedule so we can plan meetups. I can also create the doc and share it with you, and the presentation document as well. It'll be easier to communicate online for the majority of the project." 

"I agree... We share a lot of classes together, don't we?" 

"We also have assignments and finals to prepare for in them as well." 

"Ah, that's right. Then how about homeroom? Have a daily meeting about what we have done so far and goals for next time?" 

I hum in agreement. "That'll keep us on track." 

"Yep." 

"Well, as soon as I get home, I'll create the stuff tonight."

"Sounds good, partner." 

I giggle. "As it should, partne—no, that doesn't sound right." 

"No, it does not." 

We hold each other's eyes for a couple of seconds before bursting into fits of cackles. 

"See? We're already making progress," Sakura points out, a hand covering her mouth as she tries to dime down her giggles. 

Finishing my set of chuckles, I utter, "I suppose we are." 

The bell rings, signifying the end of school. Excitedly, children pop out of their seats to rush to the door while others take their time because there is no hope in getting to the lockers without dying. I assemble my belongings and stuff them into my bookbag. 

While all of this is going on, Madara-sensei rushes his last announcement, "And don't procrastinate! I gave you two weeks for a reason!" 

A few of the students thank and wave sensei goodbye as we exit. After parting from the classroom, they either bolt down the hallways to go home or to the next class for their club activities. Some, including me, meet up with their best friend so they could enjoy the empty second-floor hallways for the first time that day.

We both greet each other as usual with our mild insults and give the general summary of our day when we didn't hang out. Finally, I found the perfect time to ask something very, very important. 

"So... how's Naruto as a partner?" I question with a slur to my words. 

Her face reddens immediately. "I-I—why w-would you b-bring that up? Me and Naruto—um—I don't—why would—you know I—Naruto, he—I just—Oh, look, the bay! I-I better get my shoes and get home before I get yelled at! S-see you t-tomorrow, (N/n)!" Like a kangaroo, she hops down the ledge and gets her stuff before scurrying away before I got the chance to say anything else. 

I chuckle at her reaction. She always acts like that whenever Naruto is the topic. Well, most of the time. When Naruto is not the main focus or when Hina has something else to worry about, then she doesn't become a stuttering and blushing mess. 

I place on my shoes and head out the door along with hardly any of the other students. As I step out onto the sidewalk where it meets the long road stretching from either of my sides, I blurt after a small chortle, "Man, today was just something."


	7. V

I should've left a little later. 

One of the main reasons I don't rush out that school door as soon as the bell rings is because of this exactly. The loud, squealing females, hearts stitched in place of their eyes, as they crowd and gaze up at the person they adore. Jashin, those fangirls are so annoying, it almost makes me want to kill myself just to finally be free of their over-excitement. 

If only the famous Uchiha Sasuke rode a different train... 

I stand on the train while looking out at the scenes that flash by the windows, earbuds shoved deep in my ears in hopes it would drown out the loud cheers, compliments, and pick-up lines from the other girls, but to no avail. 

A ball of guilt and embarrassment forms deep inside my chest just from knowing that the girls are ruining everyone's afternoons. I glance to the elderly couple sitting in front of me, an apologetic gleam to my face. Luckily, though, the people here forgive them, in some way. They don't get outrageous or throw attitude. Instead, they just giggle and smile at their youthfulness, listen to their own music, or find a way to distract themselves from it. 

The elderly couple shakes their heads with innocent smiles. 

Feeling the weight inside me lift a little, which I'll take, I glance over to the mob of females. I can't imagine being in that situation—the center of the crowd or being a part of the crowd. Either way, it seems so unlike me. 

"You guys go to the same school?" It was the elderly woman who wore a cute violet hat with a pink bow neatly tied to the side. Her sparkly blue eyes gaze into mine. 

Putting on a sweet smile, I nod. 

"Oh, what school?" 

I take out my earbuds to show that I'm engaging in conversation, so I don't seem rude. "Konoha High." 

"Really?" her husband, I assume, asks. For his age, he looks fairly young with semi-dark hair and luscious hazel eyes. "Their uniforms sure have changed." 

I giggle. You have no idea how cute old people are to me. "You used to go?" 

"No, but our daughter did." He smiles as he turns back to the group of girls as the holler once again. I follow pursuit, tilting my head to see Naruto and Sasuke doing something. I have no idea what, but with Naruto... oh goodness gracious. "She was never part of big groups like those. She was more like you." 

Alarmed, I whip my head back to the man. I scratch the back of my head, unsure of how to respond at first. "Well, I don't really like the attention or the drama." 

"That's what she claimed, too," the woman says. "Said it would distract her from her studies. She was always a good student because of that." 

"Yeah?" I ask, gripping the train handle as it slows for its next stop. "That's good." 

"I suppose," the woman mutters, leaning back into the seat. 

The city scenery behind the couple ends in a snap as we pass a dividing wall between the urban and the floods of people waiting to get on the train. 

"Well," the man huffs, patting his legs. "This would be our stop. It was very nice talking to you, young lady." 

"Thank you," I reply. "It was very nice talking to you, too." 

"Such a sweet girl," the woman chimes as her husband helps her to her feet as the train stops. "Keep up your studies and do get out more. You may not see it now, but having a social life will be quite an adventure for you." 

I do a two-thirds bow to them as I thank them once again. "I will take your advice, ma'am." 

She smiles at me once more before hooking her arm through her husband, together, both of them shuffle slowly out the door. They are so damn cute. That's the kind of life I want to have when I grow old. It seems so nice. 

I find myself smiling awkwardly at the door which they no longer stand by. Embarrassed, even though no one sees, I quickly put my earbuds back in a shrug my shoulders to hide from the imaginary looks the people send me. 

My stop is after this one. I can hold out that long. I can ignore everything. The judging glares, the harsh whispers, the squealing females, the gut-wrenching feeling forming and crawling up through my throat. Right? I can ignore it all. Just drown myself in my music and ignore it all—

"(Y/n)!" a voice cheers, ending my tormenting thoughts. 

Confused, I turn my head multiple directions whilst pulling out one of my earbuds. 

"(Y/n)~" The girl giggled as she appeared inches in front of my face, her emerald eyes peering into mine. I almost fly seven train cars back at the sudden appearance. 

"S-Sakura!" I stutter, containing as much surprise as I'm able. "H-hey." 

"Hi!" She grins and stands back a little. "I didn't know you rode this train." 

That's because I don't want you to. "Really?" 

She nods. "I thought I knew everyone who rode this train. I guess I really don't." 

"Ah, that's okay. You really don't need to know everybody..." I indirectly suggest. 

A surprised expression slaps her face. "What? Of course, I do." 

I should've known... 

"Yo, Naruto, Sasuke, come here!" She beckons, waving a hand to the boys to, well, come here. 

Borderline going to panic mode, I say, "That's not really necessar—"

"Oh, it's (J/n)!" Naruto exclaims after making his way over to me, the name sending uncomfortable shivers through my bones. Oh my Jashin, please, just end me. "Long time no see." 

I force a laugh at his sarcastic remark with a monotonous tone. "Yeah, you, too." 

Being as oblivious as ever, he just smiles ignoring the hint of annoyance directed towards him. "So, you forgive me?" He mentions. 

My eyebrows act on their own and narrow as I blurt out, "Uh, no." 

"Aw, why not?" 

"Did you do me the favor you offered?" 

Naruto stays silent, inhaling slowly as his eyes travel anywhere but meet me. 

"Favor?" Sasuke asks, merely sparing me a glance before reverting his attention to the blonde. 

Gee, way to make me feel like I exist. 

"Uh, well..." Naruto starts. 

"For the stunt he pulled on me earlier. Now he owes me a favor," I explain for him, crossing my arms after releasing my grip from the handle above. I contain my scoff as to why he even asked. Sasuke was there at the scene, wasn't he? Why is it so important to ask, then? 

"Hah! That's what you get, Naruto!" Sakura huffs as she glares at him. "Why can't you be more like Sasuke? He'd never do something like that." 

Sasuke abandoned me, what? Why is he the hero here?

"B-but... Sakura-chan!" Naruto whines, fake tears spilling from his eyes as if he's hurt. 

Rolling my eyes with a click of my tongue, I unfold my arms to grab onto the handle above my head because I know what's coming up is a little on the aggressive side. I ride this train so many times, I've almost memorized its path. Up ahead was a jolt in the turn, since the architects didn't smooth that path out all too well. Again, it's not bad or anything, but it's almost knocked me off my feet several times. Now, surrounded by my ex-crush, my soulmate, and my presentation partner, I didn't really need to fall or, even worse, get a cliché moment where I tip and fall into the arms of my future beloved and be the lead role in a love story and how it all started and blah blah blah. That disgusts me. 

Yeah, yeah, I'm a hypocrite for saying that even though I just previously wished to be like that elderly couple... Finding love is different than being thrown into some story. 

I grip the handle just in time as we take an uncomfortably sharper turn than preferable. I even had my feet positioned correctly so I wouldn't do so as much as tip even the slightest. It shouldn't have even mattered.

Remember Sasuke's group of fangirls from earlier? They never left. Obviously, they didn't know about the turn or the flashing word 'SAFETY' sparking in the air either. 

The domino effect occurs and it would be cool to watch had I not been apart of it. One of the girls trip and fall on one of her friends, who then falls onto another girl, and then the next, and the next, until the wave finally crashes onto me, causing me to lose my grip and balance.

How did I not see all of this coming? How could I not see that this cliché was basically inevitable?! 

The magic flickered the second me and Sasuke touched. Remember how I told you that the Soulmate Mark works awkwardly, and no one really understands it? That the moment you make contact with them, you'd get what you'd emotionally want, more or less? Remember when I told you how I knew Sasuke was my soulmate was because of our two encounters? This would be our third, then. When Sasuke finally touched, it was the third time of my life I felt free. Oh, how much I would give to constantly feel like this—painless, free, relaxed. 

Yet, the pain lifted off my body is the least of my worries right now. 

I mumble a quick apology to Sasuke as my instincts begin to kick in. I grab hold of the bar and throw myself back up to help the other toppling students to catch their balance, aiding each of them so they can reach the bars above their heads and gain their own stability. Once the commotion is settled and the train veers back on its path, I exhale a huge sigh. 

"Woah..." Sakura breathes, staring at everyone in amazement. "That was exciting." 

No. It was frickity-frackity stressful. I almost had a breakdown just trying to get back on my feet. I choose to ignore Sakura and Naruto's flooded conversation on the whole seven-second event. 

"Heh, thanks back there," one of the girls mentions to me. 

"Don't mind," I respond. The girls giggle and walk past me to I-don't-even-have-to-see-where-they're-headed. Sasuke. Who yet again... didn't help anyone. I don't even want to glance at him. 

My eyes follow anyways as if it was a distraction from something. Luckily, I didn't need to stare at the group too long, their smiling faces and googly eyes as they continue to pester Sasuke with questions, compliments, regards, and a few asking if he was okay from the whole ordeal—as if he was the main victim here.

There was a rotting inside of me, and I hate to admit that it might be jealousy. No, not of Sasuke if that was what you were wondering, but for the fact that the girls each had a cluster of friends, always smiling, having something to focus on other than a syndrome, school because that's what your father prioritizes, or about your family in general. I wonder what that's like...

I finally notice that the train has slowed to a stop and it's my turn to get off. I pass Sakura and Naruto without being noticed and risk a look back. No, it doesn't matter. Remember, I have my own stuff to worry about.


	8. VI

※No Sasuke※

"I'm home!" I announce once I open the door, after a short journey of going up several flights of stairs. Our apartment is on the 5th floor, with no elevator because of the area we live in. It's a small, less crowded area, and our apartment building is small with two homes for each floor, a total of 8 floors. So, every day, we climb 5 flights of stairs twice, and I'm not even including school. 

Completely exhausted, I entered my cool home with a deep breath and immediately head to my room. I don't spare a glance at the kitchen to know that dad had baked cookies this evening, fresh. The smell wafts through the entire apartment, my mouth watering as I continue to think about it. 

I toss my bag onto my bed and change out of my school uniform and into some comfy clothes. Earlier I had called and there was no response, so I check in my brother's room to see if he even exists. Sadly, he does, but his headphones are on as he plays his video games with his friends. 

My brother is 3 years older than I, went to college for a year and decided he needed a year off to study extra, get more money, just get stuff together before he goes for his second year. He's staying at our place for the time being. Dad let him back with a smile on his face that his perfect child came home to stay an extra year. Had it been me, I would've been harshly denied. It's whatever, am I right? 

I waltz into dad's, former moms, office to see him working on his project. He enjoys gadgets with technology, regardless of how slim we are with money, to play with it. He's currently tweaking up some panel that I assumed was a piece belonging to his monitor. He must be too involved to even know I had shouted earlier. 

Wrapping my arms around his back, I coo, "I'm home~" 

"Hey, there, baby-cakes!" My dad chimes, swinging his chair around to face me, a large smile stitched to his face. His hair is slowly greying, but otherwise still retaining its color. "You doing okay?" 

"Yep," I answer as I lean against his office desk. "You?" 

He chuckles. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm good. How was school?" 

I shrug. "It was alright, I guess," I respond. The thing is, I'm supposed to report to my dad about anything connected to my CPS. They're always rough or awkward conversations. I always tell him it's fine. He always tells me it's not. "It was kind of weird. One of the popular—no, two of the popular kids talked to me today." 

"Ooh. Which ones?" My dad asks as his fingers tap one another. 

"Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura." 

"Uzumaki, did you say?" 

I furrow my brows. "You know him?" 

"Eh, no. I knew his parents, though, before the..." 

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." 

Naruto's parents were in a car accident two years ago. It was a bad one, too. I never heard details as to what happened to them, mostly because I wasn't really wanting to hear about scary occurrences as my mom was leaving around the same time the whole incident happened. People said they were alright, but that's about it on the update. 

"Anyways, that's not important. Why were they talking to you?" 

"Naruto, uh... he..." 

"Hurt you, didn't he?" My father's muscles tense immediately, fury flashing before his eyes. 

My mouth dries on the spot as I'm unsure of how to respond. "No, not really. H-he tripped and fell on me and... look, it was an accident! He really didn't mean to, I swear! Ask Hinata! She witnessed it!" 

He rolls his eyes. "I can't ask Hinata anything about that boy. She'll either stutter or defend him." 

Damn, we've had Hinata over for a while, huh. "But—" 

"Look, you can say whatever you want, but I'm going to contact the school about this. If anyone else can support you, I'll let it go." 

"Dad, please—" 

"(Y/n)..." He stands up, a rough hand lightly cupping my cheek. "You're a very good child, always sweet and caring, putting others before you, no matter what they've done, but I don't let anything slide, okay? I have to keep my daughter protected. I can't let anything put you in more pain than you already are." 

I don't argue. If you think I should, then let me tell you why I don't. I've tried. Several times. No matter what I say, his skull is thick once his mind has been made up. He's overprotective that way, which I understand. Even if he is sometimes irrational, I know never to tell him. Cause every time I'd argue, something bad would always happen. No, he didn't physically hurt me, but I clearly remember his words worse than knives puncturing my skin. It was a pain that medicine couldn't keep away, no matter how many I wanted to take. Now I've learned to stay quiet and nod, to minimize the chances of being hurt like that again. 

"Okay," I mumble as guilt pangs through my chest. I'm so sorry, Naruto. 

"Aw, come on, I'm not going to hurt the boy." I only look at him as he fakes his gentle smile. "It'll all be fine." 

I fight the urge to bite my lip as he takes that as a sign that I'm going to argue. "Yeah." 

He sighs, realizing that he can't get anywhere without, in some way, hurting his daughter. He could read her like a book, the girl's eyes filled with fear and guilt, mixed with worry. It's not a look he hasn't seen plenty of times before. He knows she'll be able to pull through this eventually.

"Anyway, to lighten up the mood, I made cookies." 

Everything on the girl's face washes away with those last three words. She gazes up at the tall man as he gives her a grin.

"Wanna try one?" 

"Hell yeah!" I cheer, whipping around, and head to the kitchen. 

"Language!" he calls after her. 

"Sorry!" I yell with the same enthusiastic energy from before. 

The both of them giggle as they head over to the counter to gape over at the freshly baked slabs of dough (time to get creative, lol). 

"Kaito!" Dad shouts. "Get in here!" 

There's a pause as the house stays in its silence awkwardly. Then there's a curse word followed by the slamming on his controller, something Dad and I are all too familiar with. He sighs, but I just chuckle at Kaito's reaction. Jashin, boys with video games are something. We're just lucky we got him on the first call out. 

"Yes, Dad?" he asks, irritation clear in his voice but covers it up enough with a politeness that Dad doesn't call him out for it. A boy much taller than me pops into view. He and I have the same colored hair, though he has undercut because he thought he could pull off that style. His skin matches mine, though he doesn't shower as often as I do. You can tell we're siblings. If mom were here, you could tell we're a family. I have mom's eyes while he has dad's. The perfect mix, don't you think? 

"Come try the cookies with your sister." 

Disgust. One word says it all. 

"Really?" he demands, eyeing me to see if this was my idea. 

"Yes," Father answers. 

He rolls his eyes as he, again, glares at me. Dude, why do siblings always assume you did it? Bruh, can't it ever be the parents? 

With a long sigh from us both, we each reach for the pan for what seemed like the biggest cookies in our eyes. Oh, how we managed to choose the same one. 

"Get your hands off!" Kaito yells. 

"What? I had it first!" I retaliate. 

"No, I did!" 

"I did!" 

"I did!" 

"No, I did!" I shout as I take the cookie from the pan before Kaito gets a chance to. I hold it away from him as he trudges towards me. 

"(Y/n), give it to me!" he demands. 

"No!" 

"Give it to me! I had it first!" 

Dad sighs. "There are other cookies—" 

"No!" both of us shout in unison. "I want this/that one!" 

My dad crosses his arms as he keeps his breathing low. "I said, there are other cookies." 

Kaito gulps loud and in that instant where he glances away for a second, I take a bite of the cookie. His head snaps back once he hears me chewing. 

"(Y/n)!" 

"I told you I had it first!" 

"Kaito, there are more cookies!" 

"No, Dad! I had this one first and she stole it from me!" 

"I did not! I had this first!" 

"Oh, no, you did not!" 

"Oh, yes, I did!" 

"NO, YOU DIDN—" 

My family, guys.


	9. VII

I thought yesterday was going to be a one-pony trick. That yesterday was just some crazy fling that happened, made a little mess, and is cleaned up now. Deep inside me, I hoped that yesterday's fiasco stayed in the past, and today would go back to normal, how it used to be. No blonde to pester you, no asshole to abandon you, and no me getting caught up in some 'popular' business. 

Today was going to go back to normal. I was sure of it. I was... 

Completely wrong. 

Apparently, the Uzumaki kid thought we magically became buddies for life on the one day Hinata was home. Sick. That girl left me alone and I—

"(J/n)~!" 

My thoughts run short at the arrangement of sounds. The nickname Naruto bestowed upon me could not make my ears hurt more. Cringe. Utter disgust from it. 

I pretend to ignore him, hoping that maybe he would get the message, leave me alone, and let me eat my lunch in peace. A simple plan like that couldn't possibly send those signs to him. 

"(J/n)!" he calls out, hopping into the desk in front of me with a look of pleading plastered all over him. "I need your help!" 

My brows flatten into a line as I stare in disbelief at the kid. "Oh." 

"Oh?!" he whines, sliding back, hunching over as if helpless. "Please, please, please! I really need your help!" 

"Why don't you ask Sasuke and Sakura?"

His blue eyes shift over to his two friends talking away with each other. By that, I mean Sakura continuously blabbering while Sasuke does his best to disregard her. Like he does with every confession from his fangirls. 

Naruto sighs, scratching his spiky blonde hair. "W-well..." 

"Well?" 

"It doesn't matter. I need you to help me get this done!" 

I lazily stab my chopsticks into my food. "What is it you need help with?" 

"Thank you! Thank you so—"

"Thank me? For what? I didn't say I was going to help you. Just what." 

Naruto sticks his tongue out playfully at me knowing full well I'm going to give in eventually. It amazes me how he can read people so well. "My homework." 

"Your homework...?" 

"This math assignment... It doesn't make sense!" 

"What math assignment?" 

His eyes drift away. "Uh... the one due today?" 

"You mean right after lunch?" 

He tenses, whips his head over to the clock, snaps back to me with eyes wide in panic. "Yeah!" 

I tap my chopsticks on the edge of my bento box, considering on what action I should take. This boy doesn't have even the slightest time to finish that homework packet he was assigned. He's deep in the hole in with this one. 

After another moment of pondering, I sigh in defeat. "Fine." 

"Really?!" 

I wince at how loud he yelled. "Yes, now quiet down a little." 

"Oh, sorry." 

I shovel a large amount of rice into my mouth before gesturing that he hands over his packet to see what he has done. To be frank, I was surprised to see half of it done. 

"What part do you need help with?" 

"Uh... the last page, I think." 

"The variance and standard deviation?" 

"The what?" 

I deadpan. I'm gonna get nowhere helping him! "This stuff. Finding the mean, the difference, squaring—"

"What does a square have to do with any of this?" 

"You're kidding." 

He blinks. "What do you mean?" 

"You don't know what—This thing?!" 

"Oh, you mean the jumping two?" 

"The jumping two?" I have to inhale deeply in order to calm down and recollect myself before I burst. "Well, that jumping two is called a power." 

"Yeah, cause it needs the power to jump!" 

I pursue my lips, trying to make connections on how to explain this. How this boy picks up on some things but not others during class is beyond me. Regardless, at least he's got the right spirit. 

"Okay... what does it do?" 

"Makes the number go twice!" 

I blink twice. "Go twice how?" 

"The x."

"The... x?"

"Like two and two are four! Three and three are nine!" 

"Multiplication." 

"Yeah! That fancy word!" 

"Yeah, so that's what the 'square' does." 

He raises a brow in deep thought. "Why is it a square, though?" 

"How do you find the area in a square? You multiply both sides that are the same number." 

"Oh!" He marvels, making me think I'm getting somewhere. "Never mind. I don't understand." 

I rake my fingers through my head enough to release frustration but not alarm my CPS severely. This... explaining this will be extremely difficult. Makes me wonder how Sakura or Sasuke help him with this. It seems like an impossible task if you ask me. 

"Naruto!" 

Both the said person and I turn our heads towards the source. Sakura. 

"You can't just go over and pester someone else about your homework!" 

"But Sakura-chan!" 

"No! You have to learn how to get your stuff done by yourself!" 

Naruto turns over to me, begging in his eyes, gleaming brightly as if asking if I'll save him from this. For some unknown reason, I agree. 

"It's okay, Sakura," I reassure. "It's totally fine. I don't mind helping him." 

The pink-haired female glances to me, perplexed. "(Y/n), you really don't have to." 

I shake my head. "No, no, it's fine, really! This is kind of like a good review for me." 

"During lunch, though?" 

I shrug. "Anything helps, I suppose." 

She nods. Unexpectedly, she gets up from her seat, lunch in hand, and hops over desks to get to me. My anxiety has not shot higher through the roof than it did right then. What do I do now?

"Well, then I'll join, too!" she exclaims, sliding a desk over and sitting next to me. "I'm sure there will be a test over this so this'll help." 

A thick gulp forces itself down my esophagus, leaving behind an uncomfortable feeling in my neck. "Yeah..." 

Naruto beams at her and I. "Yay! Now I get two helpers!" 

"You should be grateful for that!" Sakura snaps, her ecstatic expression towards me instantly falling when she turns to Naruto. 

"Hehe, I am!" 

I pull my bento close to my chest and make myself feel smaller than I really am. I stuff my cheeks with food to avoid having to talk as I watch the two of them argue for moments. It helped a little bit. When they turned to me and I couldn't make out words because of my mouth-full, they continued with their conversation. Only, I had no more food in my lunch box anymore, and there was no excuse I could use. 

"Right, (J/n)?!" Naruto pleads. 

Shit. I have no idea what they're talking about now. 

"I'm not a pervert!" 

"You are, too, Naruto!" 

"I'm not! I don't do... that sort of stuff." 

"You hesitated!" 

"But Sakura—" 

My lips seal tighter and I lean as far away from them as possible. Except, I'm up against the windowed wall and there's only so much room for me to back away. I'm basically trapped in this situation right now. 

"What are you guys bickering about now?" 

When the two zip their lips, I feel relief wash over me. Whoever my savior is, thank you for getting me out of this mess—Shit. It's just Sasuke. 

Naruto inhales. "Sakura keeps calling me a pervert!" 

"That's because you are one!" 

"No, but—" he desperately tries to defend himself, but to no avail. 

"Remember that one time you stole my bra?!" she exclaims, seeming to affect the whole class as the room suddenly goes silent. This seems to capture my attention, too. 

Naruto's face instantly drains of color. 

"What?" Sasuke stammers, also looking in disbelief at his friend. 

"No, no, no!" Naruto starts, shaking his hands and head furiously. "You got it all wrong!" 

Sakura crosses her arms, seemingly upset even when her eyes tell a different story full of satisfaction. "Got what all wrong, pervert?"

"I'm not a pervert!" 

"Considering you're not denying stealing her—" Sasuke begins. 

"I didn't steal her bra, though!" 

I feel a fit of chuckles rising in my throat. It's very hard to contain, but I think I'll be able to hold out. However, watching Naruto act this way is too amusing to let it slide.

Oh, Hinata will have a blast hearing about this. 

Sakura leans forward, her interrogation mode switching on. "Then how did you get it, huh?" 

"Yeah, how did you?" Sasuke follows up, only adding pressure to the already panicking blonde. 

"I—" he looks frantically back and forth between Sakura and Sasuke with their intimidating glares. "I—uh..." 

The Uzumaki resembled too much of a deer in headlights, and it was able to burst my bubble. Although my chortle isn't exotic and loud, it's still enough to bring all three of their attention to me. Whoops. 

"What's so funny, (Y/n)?" Sakura asks, glaring at me. 

I cough, forcing myself to gaze at an interesting mark on my desk. "Oh, uh, nothing." 

"Obviously, there was something," Sasuke marks. 

Oh, but obviously. My signs were just that clear, of course. I mean, he's an Uchiha. Everything he notices is 'obvious' to him. "Hm? Yeah, maybe there was. Maybe there wasn't." 

"You're being confusing, (J/n)." 

I narrow my eyes at Naruto, the nickname not sticking with me very well. "Am I?" 

"Yeah, more confusing than my jumping twos..." Disappointingly, he stares back down at his paper. By this time, he must have realized there's no way he can finish his homework in time for class. "My fancy O's and their jumping two best friend for life." 

"Your... what?" Sakura and Sasuke jinx. 

My eyes widen. There's no way those two aren't familiar with Naruto's terms. At least, I can't be the first to hear about them. I mean, jumping twos had to have been around since, what, our seventh year of math at the latest? Are they just now hearing about this? Has he never asked for—

"My fancy O's!" 

"Sigma," I explain, burying my face into my hands. "His fancy O's with their jumping two best friend for life is sigma squared." 

"What?" 

"Variance! He's talking about variance." 

Everyone is apparently speechless except for Naruto. "What's a variance?"

"How do you guys deal with him?" I ask hopelessly. 

"We don't," Sasuke simply says, straightening his posture and looking away from all of us. 

"What do you mean by that?!" Naruto complains. "Guys, stop bullying me!" 

"Then don't be a pervert!" Sakura hisses. 

"Or call them jumping twos..." Sasuke seems to be in a state of shock after realizing he said those words. 

"And asking me for help when you owe me a favor," I add on, going with the flow with the previous two. 

"G-guys—" 

The bell for the end of term dings, alarming everyone that the lunch period is now over and the next class will be starting. That put Naruto in a state of panic. 

"Wait, I just need—" 

"Nope." Sakura pops up from her seat and scrambles over to hers. 

"Sasuke, can you—" Naruto attempts again, only to realize that the other male was already gone and nowhere to be seen. He helplessly and desperately turns to me, blue eyes as wide as the sky. "(J/n)?" 

I straighten up, eyeing the situation carefully. I can only make the most logical choice—the one that will get him off my back. "I'll give you the answers—" 

"THANK YOU—"

"But," I begin with a hiss to my tone. It's enough to make the blonde gulp. "You have to stop calling me that nickname." 

With a sigh of relief, he goes, "Deal!" 

"Good. Now here are the answers," I say as I pull out my packet, but I don't get much further as the homework is ripped out of my grip and the boy is gone. 

"Thanks, (J/n)~!" 

Hearing that name, I snap my head up. "Naruto, get back here—" I desperately cry. 

He was no longer listening at that point, however. I sigh, knowing full-well that the rest of the day is going to be a long one. I'm not exaggerating on this one.


	10. VIII

No, no. Today wasn't scary at all. Nope. 

No. 

I'm not scared. 

No. I'm not. 

I am not. 

I am. 

I'm sitting on the edge of my bed, completely shaken up. My door locked to keep my worried father outside as he continues to pester me with questions not helping my situation at all. 

"Baby-cakes, are you okay? What happened?" He'd ask. 

I wouldn't respond. 

"Open the door, please. Tell me what happened." 

Still no response. 

"Baby, come out. Your poppy wants to talk to you." 

I used to call him Poppy when I was younger. 

"Come on, open the door. Tell me what's bothering you." 

"I... I don't want to..." My voice shakes, cracking before I could even start the sentence. No, I'm not crying, it wasn't an upsetting event. It's just that... had I not acted when I did... people would've died. Just the thought that I could've witnessed two souls passing away. Right before my eyes. Right... there. 

"I know you don't want to," he says, shaking the doorknob some more. "But I need to know what's wrong." 

I hug my knees closer to my chest. There's a long pause as we both wait for something to happen, either him leaving or me opening the door, wondering which one might come first. He finally sighs, "Alright, but I'm coming back in half an hour with some soup, bread, and (your favorite snack). Then will you tell me?" 

"What kind of soup?" I muster. 

"What do you think?" 

A small smile appears on my face. "Maybe." 

He chuckles. "I'll leave you alone now, okay?" 

"Okay." 

"Love you." 

"Love you, too." 

The footsteps echo down away as I hear them fading. Only when I'm positive he can no longer hear me, I heave a sigh and let myself fall back onto the bed. The whole event replaying in my mind. 

💮 💮 💮

"Alright, see ya!" I call to Hinata. 

She smiles, waving back. "Be careful!" 

"I won't die!" I retort with a dorky grin. 

Hina giggles, heading off onto her own path. 

I readjust the backpack on my shoulder. Unlike yesterday, today wasn't unusual. Classes proceeded the way they always had, Naruto not making an appearance, Kiba not glancing my way, and Sakura only catching up to see about the research I've done and left it at that. 

Well, I wish it had just ended there. 

As soon as I saw them, I knew exactly what was going down. Too bad I couldn't pass them before the hot-headed blonde noticed me. 

"Yo, (J/n)!" 

Shit. 

"Ah, Naruto," I force, slowly rotating on my heel to face him, a squiggle smile on my face as I try to handle the nickname he gave me. 

He places on his usual grin with his hands placed on the back of his head. "What's up? Haven't seen you all day!" 

Thankfully. "Well, our schedule was different today than it was yesterday." 

"But we're in the same homeroom. We share all classes together." 

"Today I had an extracurricular." 

He squints. I'm sure he has no idea what I just uttered. 

"An extra class," Sakura informs with her hands on her hips. "Jeez, Naruto. At least get that." 

"Sorry, Sakura-chan..." Naruto speaks with a hurt face. 

"It's fine," I intrude. "I know some people who don't know that word, too." 

"Like five-year-olds." 

Before Naruto could respond, his eyes light up back to the end of the street I came on. "Yo, Sasuke!" 

I'm assuming 'yo' is his only way of greeting people. 

"What is it, Naruto." It's supposed to be a question, but Sasuke seemed a little too irate for it to come off as one. 

"Wow, someone has an attitude." 

I take this as my chance to try and escape once all of their attention is off of me. It's an attempt, but my scurry gets caught by the one and only. 

"Wait, where are you going?" Naruto asks. 

I pause in my tracks. "I... uh... home?" Shit, that wasn't a confident reply. 

"You ride the same train as us. Why don't we go home together?" he offers. 

Sakura nods. "Yeah! And improve our friendship!" 

What friendship? So far, it's not flying smoothly. 

"Well, I'm not so sur—" 

"Sasuke-kuuuun~!" a fangirl screams from behind me. I would've cheered, Oh thank God, a distraction from me! but that was clearly not the case. The girl body-slams me as if I were invisible, which I know for a fact I am not. Last I checked, I could see me through the mirror unless I drank one of Orochimaru-sensei's potions... 

Yeah, she's probably just blinded by my excessive amazingness—well. I thought.

She full-on body-slammed me hard. How she didn't trip, I don't know, but I was launched to the ground as if gravity multiplied in that instant. As soon as I collided, I grit my teeth in hopes that my CPS wouldn't activate. It didn't, if you were wondering. Not even a delay, as far as I know.

There was something odd about where I was laying, however. My body felt weird at its angle. It felt as if my head was lower than the rest of my body like I was slowly tipping upside down. A sharp edge was digging into my back. 

Reaching to push myself up, I realized how half my body was hanging off of the curb. Panic immediately rose as a whole bunch of scenarios played in my head. The sound of a car down the road only adding to my freak out session. Had a hand not yanked my arm, I don't know what would've happened. Considering the car was basically a mile or more down the road... and I wasn't that far out onto the road than I thought.

"You okay?" 

The voice was basically new. I look up and almost choke on my breath. Again, no, I don't fancy him, I just tense up because I don't know if he knows that I know he's my soulmate, or if he knows I'm his (if I am and that's how it works) or if I'll be trampled by all of his fangirls if I'm seen anywhere near him. So, again, I don't like him, I just basically freak out. I do that with Naruto and Sakura, but it's not as big of a deal because I'm not soulmates with them. 

"I-uh, yeah. Yeah, I am," I say, and I should tell you 'say' really means what it means. I have no emotion in my voice because of how hard I'm keeping my panic down. My muscles shook once I recognize the hand still clasped to my arm. Nervously, I wriggled my arm away.

This is so awkward. Especially since I don't know how you'd communicate with him. I've never seen anyone pull a conversation longer than two minutes with him. 

"Dude, you good?" Naruto exclaims, rushing to my aid. His large hands squeezed my shoulders, turning my whole body in numerous directions as he examines me. 

"I'm fine—" I mustered through the aggressive pushes and pulls. 

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, slapping Naruto upside the head. "Stop harassing (Y/n)!" 

"Sorry, sorry!" Naruto whined. 

"Jashin, you're such an imbecile." 

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." 

"Hmph!" The pinkette threw her head to the side to avoid all eye contact with any part of Naruto's body. 

"It's really okay," I reassured with lifeless eyes as I've suddenly become weary. "He was just making sure I was—" 

"Sasuke-kun is such a hero!" the fangirl from earlier squealed. 

"—Okay..." I finished, though no one heard me. 

"Really?" a new girl chimed in. Yay, another girl to end my life waltzes into the conversation. 

"Of course," her friend exclaimed with a dreamy look to her face. "Sasuke-kun's the best, of course. He'd be the hero." 

The girl's face lights up at her friend's remark. I can see the idea forming in her head and I'm 1) too lazy and 2) too late to stop her from embarking it.

"Save me, Sasuke-kun!" she called, the back of her hand resting on her forehead as if she was suffering from a headache? I'm not even sure what she's trying to do. She pretend-fainted in Sasuke's direction.

Not gonna lie, watching his expression change from lifeless to 'Jashin, why' was entertaining. He's had enough of all of his fangirls' bullshit and I'm waiting for him to blow. Not today, probably. But, I'll be waiting. 

"I'll save you!" Naruto cheered. 

Yes, this is it. This is where it all goes down. One word for it all, since I know you love them. In that exact moment before everything came crashing down, that goes literally, too, my mind went black with one word written in Comic Sans bolded in the middle. And that word was: Shit. 

And it goes like this:  
the fourth the fifth,   
Naruto falls, our heads, they lift,   
And in my head, I compose the Hallelujah

My~ eyes, wide  
Sakura's eyes, wide  
Fangirls' eyes, wide  
The boys' eyes~, wide~

Well, the girl crashed into his side hard  
Naruto cried, his balance, off guard  
The horror of the sight overthrew me  
The fangirl screamed as she caught her friend  
Naruto tried the same as them  
But from the sight, we all cried Hallelujah

Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Halleluuuuuuuuuuuuujah~

No, there never was a time like this  
Where a situation was so amiss  
I've never been so scared before I knew them  
Well, I've seen stuff like this in movie scenes  
And, no, this will not end so pleasing  
Reality's cold and it's a broken Hallelujah!

I hear the car fly  
It's near us by  
I cannot lie  
A few yards, I'm going to cry~

Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the arm  
Flying down to the ground, both in alarm  
The trip over the curb onto the road  
The boys, they hit hard on the ground  
And the car's horn, it makes a sound  
The fangirls cry as they draw the Hallelujah

Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Halleluuuuuuuuuuuuujah~

Well, maybe there's a God above  
But I gotta act, here's what I think of  
I cannot watch two die right before me

So, I gather my strength and confidence  
I'll save the boys from the consequence  
I won't rely on some simple Hallelujah

Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Halleluuuuuuuu—

I made an audible grunt sound as I took both of their arms and use all of my strength, the balled amount stored deep in my body for emergencies like this, adrenaline adding a droplet of power. I yanked upward, pulling them up in the smallest amount will increase their chances of not getting run over by the car. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist to help my stability so I don't end up falling over. Sakura, the girl with unlimited, unnatural strength, is enough to pull them all the way up and onto the sidewalk before the car veered by with a loud horn. 

The sheer force of pulling them up continues once I release the arms of the boys. Sakura and I topple onto the floor, breaths still caught in our throats. But as soon as I'm able to inhale and exhale, so do my emotions. All my fear explodes now knowing that I don't wave to worry, the overpowering adrenaline shaking my limbs. I feel like crying so hard right now. I was so damn scared. 

But dear golly, don't ask me if I'm okay...

Sakura had gotten up and rushed to the boys, as well as the fangirls. Worry scatter across their faces as they try to comfort them from the fact they were near death. I say death because that's what it felt like it was gonna turn out. 

As much as I wanted to sit on the floor and ball my eyes out, I take this as an opportunity to escape and cry in my room rather than in front of the popular kids and gossip girls. Besides, I'm not that important to them anyway. I doubt it. So, in that split minute where they weren't even glancing my way, I shuffle away and behind a tree, out of view and awaited a car so I could cross the street without being noticed, the only thing on my mind was home. 

💮 💮 💮

And so I'm here. No, I didn't cry. By the time I walked through my home door and sprinted to my room, most of my emotions have been stuffed inside of me to cool down. Now, I'm waiting for nothing as I huddle in the center of my bed, thoughts like 'what would've happened if you didn't act' or 'what might have turned out if I wasn't even there' since I believe all of it was my fault.

Let me explain...

If I wasn't there, the fangirl wouldn't have run into me, I wouldn't fall onto the street. Sasuke wouldn't have 'saved' me by simply helping me get up. Fangirls wouldn't be all over him because he was the hero of the day. Naruto would've been standing further away, not to be there in time to 'save' the fake faint of the girl without bumping into Sasuke and the both of them falling onto the ground. Had I not been there, the girl would've never fake fainted, Naruto never would've thought he could be the hero, Sasuke wouldn't be the hero, and no one would've fallen. Everything that happened was because of me.

Gosh, why did I need to involve myself with Naruto? Why couldn't I have just forgiven him and he wouldn't bother me anymore? I'm such an idiot. 

"(Y/n)," my dad calls again. Had it really been that long? "Are you ready to talk?" 

"No..." 

"Well, I'm back with your soup." 

For some reason, that alone gets me out of bed. I mope over to my door, lazily opening it enough for Dad only to see me and not enter. 

"Poor baby-cakes. You don't look that good. What happened? Please, tell me." 

"Okay..." I sigh, cracking open the door. Instantly, the wafts of my soup flood into my nose and I suddenly realize how hungry I am. I stroll to my desk and my dad stands over me, setting the bowl of soup, some bread, and my favorite chocolate. A simper cracks on my face for the first time since I said bye to Hinata. 

"Aw, there's that smile..." my dad sighs. He lays a soft kiss on my forehead before running his fingers through my hair. "Now, tell me what's wrong." 

I look to my bowl of soup, then to the chocolate, and then back to Dad. There's a shaky exhale that leaves my lips and it takes me three minutes before I can finally utter the first word. "Well..."


	11. IX

Sakura and I finally decided that today we'd meet up to consult our findings on the basic research. After having read all the requirements on Madara-sensei's handout, we realized how quickly we could get this whole project done in five of the fifteen days and spend the rest of the time practicing our presentation while saving the other days to study for finals. 

So, we're meeting up. 

Sakura asked if I came over to said address, which I assume is her home. My brother is out with friends today and my dad had been called for a full shift today at his job, so I'm alone in the house right now, blasting my music while I change into something comfy yet presentable enough to wear in public. It takes me a little bit of time to get ready, though not tedious work. Once finished, I quickly packed a bag of my necessities for the trip. 

On my way out, I leave a note on the table telling my dad I'm heading out and I don't know how long for. I should get back before he does, but if something unexpected happens, he knows where to find me. 

Anyway, to save you time and cut to the chase, I finally arrived at this... huge... white... house... By huge... white... house... I mean, huge. In Japan, normally, you don't see homes, but I can guarantee you. This is basically the mansion of Tokyo. I don't remember Sakura being rich, but I guess I could always be wrong. Selling flowers can make you a millionaire, right?

After gulping pretty aggressively, leaving a painful lump to ride down my throat, a feeling set in me. This is a bad idea. Very bad. So bad. Extremely bad. However, this is for a grade, so pull your damn self together, (L/n). Let's do this. 

The house is modern-looking with a touch of Japanese origin to it. There's a small driveway leading to the garage with a break off from the pavement to the front door. The house is two stories, which is plenty big for a house, but the height isn't what threw me off. It was the width and length that really impressed me. I can't even begin to imagine how spacious it must be inside. (Reference but not the actual home). 

Fighting shivers, I stroll up to the front door, readjusting the bag on my shoulder that suddenly felt heavier. For some reason, I'm getting odd vibes that this is not Sakura's house, but who else's could this be? 

I knock on the door after passing the pillars that held up the roof for a sheltered front porch. The window to the right had its shades drawn, but a glow emitted from it dimly. Through the shades, there were no shadows to signify movement. It's not too comforting considering I knocked. Things like this always put me in a pickle; do I knock again, or should I try ringing the doorbell because they might not have heard me? And when do I ring it? When would I knock again? What do I do? 

Luckily, I didn't need to find the answers to any of those questions. The clicks from just behind this door ended my overthinking. From the opening of the door revealed a beautiful woman with clear, fair skin contrasting with her dark eyes. Her long straight black hair falls smoothly on her shoulders. She wears a three-quarter length purple shirt that laid over her knee-length grey skirt. No matter what she wears, her eyes just seem to capture mine. Where have I seen them before? 

"Well, good morning," she greets with a small smile on her face. 

"Good morning," I reply with a grin. Without having to let her ask me, I decided to introduce my position. "I'm here for a project with Sakura?"

"Oh, yes! She told me she was going to have a friend over. Please, do come in." She stands off to the side to allow me plenty of room to enter her abode, and Jashin, my jaw nearly dropped to Australia. The inside was massive and gorgeous! Though the main theme of the house was white, it was splashed with a nice balance of traditional Japanese setting mixed with some modern decorations to spice up the area. The floors changed when I looked at the different rooms beside me. The furniture in this place looked just as expensive as my apartment—holy crap! The worlds between Sakura and me are so different, it honestly scares me. 

"Wow, Mrs. Haruno. Your place is... incredible," I breathe with amazement hinted in my tone. 

"Haruno?" she repeats. 

I snap my head to her. "Are you not her mom? An aunt, maybe? I'm really sorry if I screwed that up—" 

She chuckles light-heartedly. "I'm not related to Sakura at all." 

I gulp. "Then who are you, if I may ask?" 

"I'm Uchiha Mikoto. You might be familiar with Sasuke, my son." 

The weight inside of me drops at the sound of her words going through one ear and employing a massacre in my head. My mouth goes dry in that second as I start to rethink everything. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be at Sakura's... After taking this in, blinking several times, I stare bewildered at the woman. "Come again?" 

She smiles innocently as if she expected a reaction like this. "But you may call me Mikoto, so let's ignore those familiarities. Anyway, go up the stairs. You'll find them in the first room to your left." 

"I—" 

"I'm gonna go make some snacks. So, go head on up. I'll be there in a bit!" she chimes as she exits the front area to I assume through rooms and hallways that would lead to the kitchen, leaving me standing here, alone, in the wrong house, confused and frightened.

What the hell am I supposed to do? 

Click 'Leave' if you would like to leave, or click 'Continue' if you wish to proceed through this terrible decision. 

I click the first option. 

...

Sorry, it seems we are having trouble processing your decision. For now, continue. 

The story of my life, if you were wondering, in-game form. I sigh before glancing around the wondrous interior and decide on where the stairs might be. Eventually, I find them, only to hesitate once again. Thoughts of doubt and regret echo once again and I reconsider walking out and heading home with the excuse of being sick.

I slap my cheeks. Pull it together, (L/n). You are literally... uh, I don't even know how to motivate myself. 

With that sad note, I walk up the stairs, careful not to make a huge sound. I can feel my emotions swirling inside of me as I feel like I'm walking into a trap. Maybe Sakura invited me over to this place so Sasuke could jump me or something cause... that's what my thoughts decided would happen. I know it's irrational, but I have to be prepared for anything and everything. 

Apparently, I wasn't prepared. For anything nor everything. Not when I finally reached the top step and look straight ahead down the wide hallway with doors aligning each side, with an open room to the right of me before all of the rooms start, as a second living room on the second floor. However, the spacious area was not what threw me off. It was what was standing in the spacious area. 

Yeah, I really don't think I'm supposed to be here. 

Sasuke stands outside of the room his hand mid-run through his hair as he stares at me, more in confusion than anything else, just as I am. Yes, I was nervous before, fearing I would confront him eventually, but it was the fact that he was basically naked with a mere towel covering his bottom half. That was what really made me regret walking up the stairs and declaring this was all a mistake. 

I almost stumble back so much that I could've tripped and fallen down the stairs, but luckily, I manage to save myself. "H-hey..." I speak, though my voice hid deeper in my throat. Shit... don't look. 

He raises a brow which causes me to flinch. 

"Sasuke, what are you standing out here for?" a familiar female voice asks. Her head pokes out of the door, her hands with a towel still drying her somewhat wet hair. She follows Sasuke's gaze to me and finds me standing there getting, most definitely, the wrong idea. 

"Wait, you guys aren't—" I stop myself as I gather my thoughts. "Am I supposed to be here? I'm not intruding on you two, am—" 

"No!" both of them say with different energies.

Sakura's face snapped to red as soon as she processed what I was trying to get across. "Haha, no, no, nothing like that!" she cries, waving her hands in front of her as if the sends the message across better than her words. 

Sasuke just shifts away from her. 

These are all the answers I need. 

"Oh," I muster, still in utter confusion.

"No. Naruto, Sasuke, and I are just hanging out..." 

I nod, making it seem like I understand. I don't. "Cool..." 

"Is Sasuke done yet!" a whine from inside the same room calls. 

A threesome? My eyes widen. Oh, Jashin, don't tell me they want to recruit me to increase their numbers. That's not... No! Ew! No! Gross! AH! I shake my head to rid the thoughts. What my devilish brain does to me should concern me, but I have more problems on my hands that I'm able to focus on. 

"He's been in the shower for an hour already, does this guy know how to—Oh, he's done," Naruto mumbles as he exits from the doorway. He takes a second to notice why they are staring my way, and it's like a huge reunion when it comes to him. "(J/n)!" he exclaims.

Shivers zigzag down my spine, the nickname still unsettling and rather annoying. 

He skips over to me, a large smile plastered to his face. "What are you doing here?" 

"I-I'm here to study with Sakura. We have that presentation for Madara-sensei's, remember?" I remind him. 

"That's not due for another two weeks," he notes. 

"And you wonder why you're a dumbass," comments Sasuke. 

"Hey!" he wails. "It's not like you started either." 

Sasuke crosses his arms. "I have." 

Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but no words escape from it. Luckily, Sakura isn't so cold-hearted to the blonde as she smiles to lighten the mood. "Come on, (Y/n). Let's see what we have to do. Naruto, you go shower. Sasuke, we'll be out here." The girl points to the living area I mentioned earlier. Then she hops over to me, shoving Naruto out of the way while she's at it.

It's funny to see Naruto's expression mixed with shock, excitement, and confusion all at once. It was quite a sight. 

"Let's go!" Sakura hooks her arm through mine, dragging me to the second, upstairs living room. She forces me onto the couch, a devilish gleam glinting in her green eyes. 

With my past thoughts, this situation just doesn't sit right with me. Then again, me being at the Uchiha household when I'm working on a project for Sakura didn't flow well either. I have a bad feeling about this. 

"We've got a lot of work to do."


	12. X

After sitting down and getting settled, Sakura looks at me expectantly. "You know, after this, we should hang out. You know, build our friendship!" Her hand forms a fist as a sign of her commitment and persistence.

"I... I don't know..." I sigh, looking away. I didn't really have anything to do today, but I really didn't want to hang out with Sakura right now. All I have on my mind is the project, nothing about interacting and practicing my social skills. 

As if reading my mind, her smile falters. "It's okay. I'm not trying to pressure you into anything. I just don't want to make you uncomfortable for these next couple of weeks, you know? And we have one more year after this, I want to be close enough where we can share things with each other or do projects together and just be friends." 

"I—" 

"I know I don't have the same skill as Naruto." Sakura turns her head in the direction of where the shower might be. She chuckles. "He's able to make friends with anyone he meets. People may claim that they don't like him, but it's because they don't even realize they've already been cast under Naruto's spell of friendship. That's why I admire him." 

I don't bother to say anything, and just grin at how she describes her friend. I may already know all of this stuff, but hearing it from Sakura is different. It hasn't been a whole day of knowing her, but she's already much different than what I thought her to be. 

"But he's still a dumbass who needs to learn some manners, especially around women like you and me," she jokes with a grin. 

"How close are you guys?" I ask, trying to continue the conversation. 

"Naruto and I? Or all three of us?" 

Oh, that's right. Sasuke's pretty close to them as well. "The three, I guess." 

Her eyes shift to the off TV and her eyes linger there for moments while she configures her sentences. Once settled, she turns to me and says, "It all started in elementary, fifth grade, I believe. We were put into groups of three for a month-long project. I forget what it was, but none of us were really interested in it, much like we were with each other. I despised Naruto. He was a prankster who didn't care for anyone, or so I thought. He pranked to gain attention from other people because of how alone he felt. On the other hand, I was obsessed with Sasuke. Had a crush on him for so long... Actually, I still have a crush on him, but..." 

"Ooh, really?" I ask, my face lighting up. I knew Sakura fancied Sasuke, but I didn't know she still did. This was news to me. 

Her hands clasp her reddened face. "A-ah, yeah. Surprise, isn't it?" 

I giggle at her reaction to the sudden 'crush' attention. 

"W-well, anyway, Naruto and Sasuke weren't too fond of each other either, and Naruto had a crush on me, and I don't think Sasuke liked me either, but..." 

"You sure had strong opinions about each other," I comment. 

"We were young and believed any gossip were facts. So anything we heard about each other, we thought was true. Until we got to know each other through the project and realized that those rumors weren't really all they were said to be. And now, we're here, I guess." 

"Wow, so you guys have been through everything together since fifth grade? Impressive." 

Sakura shows a doubtful expression. "Kinda. Sasuke did have... an emotional time and avoided all of us. Whatever drama happened with his family drove him to run away. It was a pretty stressful time, but the Knucklehead Naruto managed to knock sense into him and bring him back. So..." 

"Wow." That's the only word I can say to that fiesta. "I don't remember anything being said about that." 

"That's because we were able to keep it silent. Somehow.... but it's been so long that if we told people now, it wouldn't be big news anymore, would it?" 

"I guess not." 

"What are you guys talking about?" 

We both crane our necks to see Sasuke exiting his, I guess, bedroom? He now has clothes on, but you can still tell he just got out of the shower by the drops of water that trickles from his hair. He sits down cross-legged on the couch behind us. 

"Just about how we became friends and all," Sakura answers. 

"Aren't you supposed to be working on your project?" 

"Aren't you supposed to be minding your own business?" I snapped unintentionally. Well, almost completely unintentionally. 

Sakura stares wide-eyed at me at first before bursting into fits of laughs. Sasuke didn't seem to have the same reaction. 

My lips are sealed shut, but I did kind of want to laugh alongside Sakura. Other people laughing makes me laugh, but me snapping at one of the most popular guys in school who has never been talked down to by a classmate, as far as I know, is pretty fucking hilarious if you ask me. I almost feel a sense of pride. 

Sakura continues to cackle which lightens the mood. 

"What's so funny?" Sasuke looks directly at me. 

Shit, he's testing me when I'm this close to bursting. "Do you see me laughing?" 

"No, but you look pretty damn close." He narrows his eyes at me, getting all the more annoyed with my responses. 

I lean up on the couch, closer to him. "Is that so?" 

As expected, he doesn't back down from my provocation. He leans in closer to me. "Why don't you tell me? Or is that getting into your business?" 

Damn. I lick my lips while continuing to stare into his emotionless eyes, unsure of how to respond back. I'm not really good when it comes to comebacks, much less an argument. No, I hated losing, I'm definitely competitive, but when I'm stumped, I can't help but let the loss drown me. I admit defeat by leaning away and facing Sakura. Jashin, she's so close to losing it. 

"So, for the project," I start as I take out a notebook and my pencil pouch. "I haven't gotten many resources, but I found three really good ones we could use for the project." 

Sakura calms herself by the time I finish speaking and she returns to her 'school self'. "That's great! On the rubric, I don't think we need a whole lot of resources, but with my grandparents' story and one more if I'm able to get an interview, I think that should be plenty." 

"I agree." While Sakura places her sources on the table, I flip open my notebook with bull pointed notes from the websites I researched. "Here are some quotes we could use." 

Uncomfortably, or awkwardly I should say, I watch as her eyes skim the page, but all that goes away with the light-up of her eyes and the smile appearing on her face. "These are great! No, perfect! How did you—" she begins, her eyes demanding my secrets as she looks at me. "(Y/n), you are incredible. I am so lucky to have you as a partner." 

I felt my cheeks get hot from the compliment. No one ever really compliments me, jokingly or genuinely. So, hearing it spill from one of the most popular girls in the school, with such a bright smile, speaking it so casually like she truly believed it, it made me feel... special. It made me really happy. 

The fact that I don't get compliments also brings out the awkwardness associated with the responses. So, I freeze up once I realize that I need to reply, my blood running cold. I can feel the zings shooting up and down my back, so unsettling and nerve-wracking. "I-I—" Shit, come on, (L/n)! Don't stutter! "I, um, well, th-thank y-you." Well, so much for not stuttering... 

Unlike the reaction I expected, Sakura giggles at my innocent response. "Don't stress yourself, (Y/n). Gosh, you looked so scared!" 

I gulp hard. "A-ha... y-yeah..." 

Sakura's green eyes linger on me for a bit more, not creepily or seductively, rather like she's trying to figure out why I reacted the way I did, or that she was satisfied to have a partner like me. It was a reassuring look. 

"Anyway, I say we make a schedule. Since I'm busy after school, do you want to meet up during lunches? Homerooms? Evenings? What works for you?" 

I look up, pretending to read my imaginary calendar. "Mm, I can do evenings on all days except Tuesdays and Wednesdays. As for lunches and homerooms, we're in the same homeroom so we can just meet up in the classroom whenever we want." 

She nods. "Besides those, I say weekends are the easiest for us to practice. If we stick to getting the research done by Monday, we spend a week and a half preparing for the presentation, and the last week will be used for the actual presenting. I think it gives us plenty of time." 

"Especially a lot of leeway in case things come up." 

She nods. "Precisely! I always think ahead with other factors taking place." 

Wow. I guess that's a good thing. You can never be too prepared, I guess. "Right. I think we should also spread it out evenly. We wouldn't want to get it done too early, but we shouldn't procrastinate either." 

"Yes. So, how does every other day sound? If we plan Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with the weekends up to whatever we want, we should get it done with the right amount of time to spare." 

I smile. "Yep, sounds great. Now, homeroom during Wednesdays, since I'm not available." 

"And Fridays. Kinda want the afternoon to be free before the weekend." 

"Agreed." We both share a chuckle. 

"So, Mondays after school then?" 

I nod. "That works. At school, your house, my house?" 

"How about your house since we were supposed to go to mine today..." A visible sweatdrop dribbles from her forehead and down to her chin. She makes an awkward laugh. 

"Yep. And if you don't mind me asking..." 

As if the pinkette could read my mind, she says, "I forgot my house keys and my parents are away... I'm just going to stay here until they return." 

"Ah, that makes sense." 

"I already told you we were just having a sleepover, right?" she questions, worry written all over her face. "That none of us were doing anything dirty or—" 

Even if it's not about me, my face still flushes. "No! No, no, no! I didn't assume anything like that!" I lie, not realizing how easily I let it out. 

"Ahaha! That's good. That's really good!" 

We both sit there, nervously laughing as if that washes away the awkwardness and embarrassment between us and our assumptions. 

"You girls are so weird..." a new voice states. 

The three of us that were present in the room turn to see Naruto waltzing towards us, hands in his sweatpants, his hair also dripping with water. Do boys know how to dry their hair at all? 

"Coming from you," Sakura pouts, crossing her arms. "I find it really hard to be—" 

"Hey, (J/n)!" Naruto squeals as he interrupts the now angered pink-haired female. 

For some reason, I instantly smile, glad there's something else to distract me from the previous awkward conversation. "Oh, hey, Naruto." 

He hops over the back of the couch next to Sasuke. He leans over and grabs something from behind me. A controller? "What are you doing here?" 

I deadpan. He already forgot. "Sakura and I are working on the presentation." 

"Presentation?" 

"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura and Sasuke say at the same time. 

"In Madara-sensei's," Sasuke continues. It's the first time I've noticed him with a controller, too. My head whips to the TV screen. When did they turn on the video games...? How did I not notice the shooting sounds from before? 

"We had a presentation in Madara-sensei's?" Naruto asks without tearing his eyes from the screen. 

"Yeah, you were partnered with Hinata," I remind, hopefully sparking something which I somehow did. 

His face lights up. "Oh, yeah, I remember now!" 

Sasuke annoyingly sighs, done with his forgetfulness. Sakura turns to me with a questioning look. "How do you remember that?" 

"Oh, Hinata's my best friend." That was a reason enough for her. 

"You and Hinata are best friends?" Naruto clarifies. He looks down at me for a split second and the look in his eyes told me to be ready for an idea about to spill out of his mouth. 

I nod. 

"That's perfect! Then we can do buddy study sessions since I'm Hinata's partner and Hinata is your best friend, and you're Sakura's partner, and Sakura is my girlfriend!" 

"Girlfriend?" I stump, a look of confusion written on my face. "I didn't know you guys were dati—" 

"We're not! You little shithead!" Sakura yells, standing up. 

"Here we go again," Sasuke mumbles. 

"Ah, Sakura!" Naruto shrieks, popping up from the couch and backing away slowly. "There was a misunderstanding!" 

"Are you sure about that? Cause it didn't sound like that to me!" The girl has veins popping out from multiple places on her head, rage flashing through her eyes. Even though I'm not on the spot, Sakura's aura still gives me shivers. She lifts a fist, pulling it back. 

Naruto is best friends with Sakura, so it's no surprise that he already knew what she was gonna do before I did. He hops over the bed and sprints quicker than I've ever seen him run, and yes, he's a fast runner in P.E. 

"Naruto!" she yells, jogging in the direction he went. "Get back here!" 

They disappear behind the wall and out of sight, leaving only screams and stomps to fill the second floor. I swallow dryly as confusion overruns me. What the hell do I do now? I came here to work on a project with Sakura, but she's... preoccupied. I think she will be for a little while longer, too. 

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Naruto screams as he runs down the hallway and glides—and I mean glides down the stairs. He zoomed so fast that I actually had to stand up and peak around to see if he was okay. Didn't need to. "Sakura, I said I was sorry!" 

"Sorry doesn't cover it!" she roars as she stampedes past us and barrels down the stairs after Naruto. Not as impressive as Naruto's dive down, but still considerably quicker than standards. 

I must've had a look of worry on my face because Sasuke says, "It's fine. This sort of stuff happens all the time." 

I act reassured and take a seat, ducking so I'm out of the way of Sasuke's view of the game. Well, I can't work on my project now, so what am I supposed to do? Ideas pop through my mind like lightning, but they leave just as fast. As much work as I could do without Sakura, I find myself lingering on the thought of being in the same building as Sakura and that we should be doing work together. So, I end up resulting in patience and watch the game Sasuke plays. 

Games always fascinated me, even though shooting games aren't my style. I prefer arcade games and simulations. It's a liking of mine I picked up from my parents. Their first date was at an arcade, surprisingly they would go often. Though, as age, marriage, and children came, they seemed to get out of it. Well, my dad did. My mom still found herself adoring that same arcade shop and would take me and my brother to it when we were free or Saturday mornings when my dad was out. My brother grew out of it, claiming it was 'too retro' and 'not popular or cool'. I, on the other hand, absolutely loved it as a child. Favorite place to go, the games engrossed my 6-year-old mind. So my mother would take me ritually, and have our routine car simulation race. I always lost, but I kept getting better and better. I finally won against her, which was, ironically, the last time my mother and I went to the arcade together. Then she left... and I never found the courage to go back there. Not until she returns, that is. 

There's a nudge in my back and it finally hits me that I zoned out with my memory recollection. "Hm?" I turn around to the only other human being left in this room. 

"I said," Sasuke starts, already annoyed with me. Yeah, that's my soulmate for you. "Did you want to do anything?" 

All my anxiety did was tell me to gulp. That bad feeling from earlier? Rising, and I'm still not sure why.


	13. XI

"I said," Sasuke starts, already annoyed with me. "Did you want to do anything?" 

I raise a brow. "Why?" 

"Because those two will be at it for a while." 

"How long is a while?" I nervously ask, not really wanting to know the answer. 

"Depends. Hours, maybe." 

I stare in shock at the guy who still hasn't torn his eyes from the screen, no surprise he's not interested in me. I gawk at the time frame. Hours? He's kidding. Not only the anger lasting that long but the stamina... I can't even imagine. 

"I don't really like repeating myself." 

Did he say anything? I didn't zone out again, did I? 

He clicks a button on his controller that apparently paused the game. He stands up and starts walking away, leaving me in utter confusion. Just before he strolls down the stairs, though, he looks straight to me with a look of annoyance as he rethinks everything having to do with me. "You coming or not?" 

"W-where are we going?" I ask in alarm, standing up and glancing at my stuff. 

He rolls his eyes and walks down the stairs. "Just come on." 

"But—" I cut myself short, realizing I'm getting nowhere. A thought flashes through my mind as I judge whether or not it would be smart to follow Sasuke. Not that I can do any work for me and Sakura's project, or have anything else to do for that matter. Ah, what the heck, Sasuke's not a rapist... At least, dear Jashin, I hope not. 

I shake the unusual idea aside and subconsciously grab my 'emergency kit'. It's a small pouch for girl problems, money, backup stuff, but mainly to cure me in case the CPS takes action and I'm not near any sort of aid. More for emergency purposes but nothing meant for serious occasions. 

You probably are wondering why I'd bring my emergency kit, which from now on I'll call it the EK, for just downstairs. Well, again, if CPS starts blaring its sirens, I'd rather my medicine be 5 feet away from me than having it chilling on the second floor. You never know how bad the pain or numbness can be... 

After recollecting myself, I hop up from the ground, take one more glance at my stuff, and softly hop down the stairs to the main floor. Sasuke is nowhere to be seen, and I'm lost for the second time in the same house today. Once I reach the last step, I notice someone approaching me in the corner of my eye. It was Mrs. Uchiha. My immediate reaction to her is a smile. The woman appears to be carrying a tray of snacks. 

"Hello," she greets with a small grin. 

"Hi, Mrs. Uchiha." 

"Mikoto, I told you this," she jokes. 

"Oh, sorry. Hi, Mikoto," I redo. 

"I made you guys snacks. Will you guys be upstairs, or do you want me to set this somewhere else?" 

I bite my lip. I'm sure she's used to Sakura and Naruto making an appearance at one of their best friend's house often. Did she not hear them earlier stampeding down the stairs? "I... I don't—" 

"We don't need it," the guy who supposedly disappeared for a few seconds said. 

"Oh?" She tilts her head at her son. "How come?" 

Sasuke didn't need to answer. Naruto sped past us with a girlish scream that went through seven different voice cracks all while tears poured from his eyes. Sakura charges after him with a new weapon with her that itself scares the shit out of me. Do I wanna ask where she got that umbrella from? 

Unlike me, who is completely freaked out, Mikoto laughs whole-heartedly. "At it again? What did that poor boy do this time?" 

Sasuke grunts. "Does it matter?" 

That question alone seems to wipe off the beautiful smile Mikoto had on. 

"We're heading out." Sasuke walks away from the woman and walks around the corner, out of sight. 

She sighs. I only managed to give her an apologetic look not wanting her to think I pity her. I just... it feels so upsetting how Sasuke would treat his own mom like that. Before, I only thought he had an attitude to his classmates. Yet, here...?

To make her feel better, I grin like the dork I am and sneak some of the food on the plate and into my greedy arms. "Looks delicious!" I compliment as I round the corner to follow Sasuke. I wasn't lying, however. The food is the epitome of Saturday afternoon snacks, my mouth water just glancing at it. 

I find Sasuke standing at the door waiting for me. Yeah, he frowns, like he usually does, but this one radiated different energy. We hold eye contact for what seems like forever. He glares, I'm wide-eyed. Annoyed, confused. Only when he glances down do I get the message he was trying to tell me.

My eyes follow to the pile in my arms. How do I explain this, if there is even something to explain with? Because my social skills are at a solid level zero, I ask, "You want some?" 

His facial expression immediately changed to regret in 0.004 seconds. Without any words, he opens a door and waltzes through. I follow him while shoveling my mouth with whatever food I could fit right away. His look of disapproving gave me anxiety and I made a goal to munch it all before I made it to the... car? No, wait, not just any car, a rich person car, like that car that every rich teenage guy has somewhere in their garage but doesn't use, just for looks, to show off. The... the type of car that's three times more expensive than my bedroom. 

Should make sense, though. They're the Uchihas after all. 

"Clothes your mouth when you chew. It's disgusting." 

Damn, I was so impressed, my mouth was hanging open. Embarrassed, I shut my mouth and avoid any eye contact with him. Instead, I just make my way to the other side of the car and hop into the passenger seat. I finish the last of my food, hiding my face so I'm not continuously judged by the rich kid. On top of that, I cover my mouth with my hand while I chew. 

As well, I am completely astounded by the inside of the vehicle. The extremely designed seats that looked better than my bed. The dashboard, the cup holders, everything awed me. I didn't even think cars could look this good.

I'll be honest, this car is sexy.

Sucking in my breath, I take a seat and holy shit, it's great. Definitely a competitor for my bed. My gaping ends once I realize how self-conscious I am and questions start flooding in. How do you slam-shut a door perfectly? How do you buckle yourself perfectly? How do you stare out the window or at the channel bar without getting judged? How the hell am I supposed to pull this off? This is a fancy-ass car, how do fancy rich people do this? 

Whatever. Just relax or else you might have to use your EK. Shaking the thought out of my head, I slam the door shut and strap the seatbelt over me and only await the click before I end my struggle. There's another click and I know Sasuke buckled, too. Intrigued by the expensive car, I watch what differences might I catch compared to the usual taxi I'd take. 

...

Everything. Everything is different. 

Sasuke presses a button above him that makes the garage door open. He starts the car and even the low hum of the engine sounds so good. Dude, I gotta stop thinking about this car in that sort of manner. Continuing, I watch as the Uchihas fingers rotate a dial. Which is weird, because I didn't even think cars had dials where the gear shift would be. Somehow, the rotating of that managed to put the car in drive. 

The car rolls forward and out into the sunny outdoors. The windows slightly dimmed on the inside which makes the glare of the sun a lot less painful. The small greenery they have outdoors is enough to make the place seem alive, and their outdoor accessories give off an apparent 'we're rich' that I missed when I first walked up to the place. Though I shouldn't expect any less from the Uchiha's who own a famous family business. The reason for their richness is all because of their success in the business world. It only makes sense. 

"How are you?" 

I'm taken aback by the sudden question. My eyes linger on Sasuke to make sure he was the one who asked. Well, duh, there's no one else in the car. Still, it felt weird having him initiate a conversation. 

"Are you deaf? I asked how you were?" 

I gulped. "What? I... I think I'm good. Did something happen?" 

He raises a brow and sneaks a two-second glance at me before bringing them back to the road. "Can I not ask that question without there having to be something wrong?" 

"Uh, no, I guess not." I bite my lip. I suppose common courtesy would be to ask the same question back to him. "How ar—" 

"Were you fine after the incident yesterday?" 

Well, so much for letting me finish my sentence. "Incident? What incident—oh." The occurrence yesterday with... people falling... cars almost running our heads flat... a nice little scare for a Friday afternoon. I remember how shaken up I was about it, but after a long talk with my dad about the pancakes he was gonna make for dinner, all of that went away. "Yeah, I'm good. What about you?" 

He shrugged. "Fine." 

I nod, uncomfortable with the silence, and how awkward our conversation is. So, in an attempt to keep this going, I ask, "Where are we going?" 

"Somewhere." 

"Wow, really." 

"It's not relevant to you." 

"Actually, it is. I'm in the car with you, aren't I?" 

He shoots a scowl my way. "So?" 

"So?! How do I know you're not taking me to some cliff so you can push me off, or drown me in a hidden river in the forest, or turn me into some mafia you're secretly apart of, or rape me—" 

"What?" he stammers. "I'm not gonna do any of that." 

"And how can I know for sure?" 

"I don't kill people." 

I cross my arms. "Well, your looks say otherwise." 

"My looks? What the hell do my looks have to do with any of this." 

"I don't know," I shrug. "You just give off the impression that you want to murder everyone you look at." 

As if he's trying to support my thesis, he glowers again at me, Yep, that glint in his eyes definitely says they want to obliterate me. 

He comes to an abrupt stop at the red light on purpose because of my remark. Yet, I still didn't see it coming. I lurch forward only saved by the seatbelt. 

"Dude, what the hell?" I croak. 

"Can't you just shut up for a second?" His voice is a little higher than before. 

I turn to face him and, instead of his previous side-eye looks from before, his head is full-on turned towards me. His eyes pierce into my once slightly confident, cocky, smart-alecky, proud ones, that are now regretting holding eye contact with this guy for longer than five seconds. My gulp is louder than what I hoped for, but luckily the hot-head didn't react to it. 

Since I can't vocally respond, I just pretend to zip my lips closed like the awkward child I am. 

He leans back into his seat just in time for the green light, and he steps hard on the gas which, of course, throws me back into the seat. "I have some things to pick up. You happy now?" 

Now I feel bad. I know I shouldn't, it's not like I really did hurt the poor little feelings of the most popular guy in school who cares only but of himself and not of the undying love of his fangirls, turning down every single one of them harshly with no remorse, unfriendly to his mother seeming not to care about her, or anything whatsoever. So, yeah, why I have a sudden pang of guilt for talking back to someone who will most likely be unfazed by it, I don't know. 

I burrow deeper into the seat and keep my eyes fixated on the tall buildings passing by, occasionally being blocked by the overhead highway. I don't know how long I’ve been in the car, but it feels like it’s been years rather than the few minutes that had actually passed. Knowing this made everything more uncomfortable. 

Finally, after a decade of waiting in a dark abyss, the raven parked his car down a lonely street somewhere off from the main road. My eyes scan his calm demeanor with a hint of annoyance still fuming out of one ear. I await commands whether or not to follow him inside or patiently sit in the car until he returns.

Well, he didn’t say anything and popped open the door without sparing a glance at me. I guess that answers my dilemma. Until that is, my door opens. 

Curiosity spikes through me and I whip my head over. 

“I’m not your chauffeur,” he says with a scowl. “Now hurry up and get out. We don’t have all day.” 

Huh? 

As quickly as I grew confused, I snap out of it and unbuckle, hop out of the seat, and slam the door quickly with hopes he wouldn’t scold me. Luckily, he didn’t, mostly because he was already walking down the street completely ignoring me. Seriously, who is this dude? 

However, I should feel a little higher up. Fangirls would kill to be in my position. They dream of Sasuke 24/7 probably, since they always gaze at him during school hours, try their best to partner up with him whenever classes offer projects, attempt to uphold any conversation with him in hopes he realizes how great of a person they are for him. Most get denied on the spot, and the stories I’ve heard don’t sugarcoat anything, but they continue to reach for a better relationship even if they know it’s impossible. I credit them, though, for their determination and perseverance. 

To be honest, like I’ve told you before, I don’t see what those other girls admire about him. Our last conversation definitely shows he’s not sympathetic, kindhearted, or even anything like being dreamy. He’s always glaring at anyone and everyone. He’s blunt, which would be fine, but he adds some sort of arrogant tone that ruins it. None of what he says is with the intent to help, encourage, or anything good. Especially with his mom, the attitude he throws at her, making it seem that she only exists to give him food and clean the house and that’s it.

It’s horrible, and it makes me sick. How those other girls only dream of him because of his looks, but his hairstyle looks like it came straight from an anime show. Honestly, I’m starting to think they just want him for the money, because there is no way they would want him for his personality. 

Shit, that sounded mean, didn’t it? I don’t even need to ask to know that. Jashin, I am such a terrible person for thinking that. I didn’t mean it. Why am I apologizing to myself? Honestly, do I ever stop thinking? I’m just glad my mouth doesn’t run as much as my brain does—

“Oof,” I cough once I run into something, or rather someone. 

”Well it seems you’re not only deaf but blind, too,” Sasuke hisses. 

”Well, if someone didn’t stop so abruptly, maybe I wouldn’t have bumped into you,” I retort. To be honest, I don't even know if he stopped abruptly or not, I'm just throwing that on a whim here. 

He looks at me, mouth opened to say something, but soon realizing that I’m a helpless cause and shuts it just as quickly. The male shakes his head and continues to walk through the door of a small corner building with windows on only one side. The windows were shaded and you couldn't see anything inside. I instantly felt nervous that this was certainly the place Sasuke was going to kill me in.

However, that was luckily not the case. Once entering, I already get the feeling I'm going to break something. I hadn't even made it past the Welcome carpet on the floor when I saw all the clustered items bunched together all over the place having no pattern to the organization whatsoever. Even the smell gives away what the place may be. 

Yes, one of my enemies. A good old antique shop here to ruin my day. Boy, Sasuke is going to have fun managing me in here.


	14. XII

Unlike my ungraceful self, Sasuke just maneuvers easily through the tall stacks of plates a cups, around the couch which is almost sandwiched between shelves. The stack is full of breakable shimmering items, such as intricately designed lamps, cups, plates, old-fashioned picture frames with the common swirls and chipped paint peeling from the wood, beautifully sculptured statues of women and men captured in graceful poses, and other random items back from a century ago. Other items too big to be put on shelves or random tables scattered around appeared dusty, which only added to their ancient personality. Chandeliers, lit or not, hang from the ceiling above us, the orange-tinted glass giving the shop a warm presence and welcoming manner. 

I inhale sharply as I continue to peer at the unique collection, thinking of the best strategy to use to avoid all of it. One step at a time and I should be able to get through this without much trouble. Just squeeze around this big statue, then carefully slide between the table and the couch while ducking under a lower hanging chandelier, then sucking everything in to get between the two bookshelves closely set near each other. So, far, I made it through. Maybe not nearly as quickly as Sasuke, but I haven't tripped over anything yet, so I call this a win. 

I called that too soon. 

Just as my thought had ended, I felt my foot getting caught between something and I knew it was all over for me and this shop. Like slow motion, I tip forward toward a table only two feet away from me, which I'm guaranteed to hit on the way down. To top off my gracefulness, the shelf to the left of me tips forward with me. The delicate items on the shelves slide which only adds to my anxiety and worry. 

Shit. 

Luckily, if it was possible to get good luck, my other foot acted and stopped me before I hit the table, and my body torqued to hold back the shelf. Angling my legs awkwardly, of course, to keep the antiques on the racks from continuing on their road to pieces. 

The little incident had caused a lot of noise considering how quiet the place originally was. It doesn't surprise me that two people came rushing around to see what happened, what surprised me is that I don't recall making noise myself. Like, no squeal, no peep, no nothing. I was utterly silent during my little excursion. Wow, I'm kind of impressed. 

Trying to pretend this isn't as bad as it seems, I peak up to the two people that stand between tenfolds of large antique piles. One of them was whom I rode with today, the other was an older woman with glasses hanging on the tip of her nose. She looked small compared to the boy next to her, a foot difference in their height alone.

"H-hey, there. Nice to meet you, I'm (Y/n)." I offer a free hand to the lady. 

She merely blinks at me before simply turning away and back to wherever she came from, not even glancing at my extended palm. 

"Rough first impressions aren't your style, I see," I continue to talk as rejection starts to affect my awkward reaction syndrome. "Haha, well, it was good talking to you! Hopefully the next time we meet we get better inmph—!" I narrow my eyes. 

"Shut up," Sasuke demands with a finger over my lips which somehow restrains me from talking. "Before you make more of a mess than you already have." 

I pull my head away to regain my ability to speak. "I could've done a lot worse, y' know. This whole place could've been a mess." 

"If you trip again one more time, there won't be a place here anymore," he bites, helping by pushing the shelf back up on its balanced side. 

I unhook my foot from behind the shelf and start to replace the items where I believe it was originally at, but I was never too sure. Proud of myself, I cross my arms with a smug look plastered to my face. "See? That wasn't so bad." 

Sasuke looks at me in disbelief. Though his usually stoic face, I can still see all the negative emotions radiating off of him, the only way I can tell what he's feeling right now: annoyed and a little bit frustrated. That second of emotion disappears after he blinks and recollects himself. "Just... follow me. And don't break anything this time." 

"Well since you said it, I can't possibly do it now." 

"Do you have to respond to everything I say?" he snaps, narrowing his black eyes at me. 

Unfazed by his look, though it was a little difficult, I shrug nonchalantly. "How else do you keep a conversation going?" 

"Well, I don't need a conversation with you, so keep your mouth shut." 

I fold my arms. "Mm, shutting me up? Yeah, no. You don't have to respond to anything I say, but here we are." 

He takes my accidental advice and turns on his heels, again, continuing through the store to where he probably originally came from before I nearly broke the shop. This time, I'm quick to follow him so I don't get lost, never knowing how big this interior is and not wanting to find myself lost in a maze. 

We both approach a counter near the back of the store with papers, artifacts, and writing utensils scattered everywhere, leaving no open space to place anything down on it. I take it the miss from earlier that owns the place must be really messy, lazy, or doesn't care altogether. If not, all the above may apply. 

One thing imparticular caught my eye. It was a small statue of... a baby? A toddler? I'm not sure, but it stood awkwardly with its arms placed in unusual angles in the air, its eyes closed, but mouth wide open. It's tongue stuck out, for reasons I wish not to know. Whatever it was, it was more interesting than anything else I've seen here. 

I reach a hand out to touch it, my finger inching towards its face. Sadly, it never got there. 

A hand slapped mine away. "Don't touch that!" Sasuke whisper-yelled.

I scowl. "Why not?" I, too, quietly shout back. 

"You don't just touch—" his eyes shift from mine to the statue and in that same second, his face read of confusion, disgust, and disturbing. "—that... thing." 

Still reaching a hand towards it. "Wow, so you're judging it?" 

He pushes my hand, again, away from the object. "I'm not judging it." 

"Are you sure? 'Cause that look made it seem like you were judging it." 

"No, I was not judging it." 

My free hand reaches for the thing while I still maintain eye contact with the Uchiha. "Then you shouldn't mind me touching it." 

He uses his other arm to hinder my movements. "How about no." 

I struggle against him. "How about yes." 

"No." 

"Yes." 

"No." 

"Yes." 

"No—" 

"Oh, for Pete's sake, just let me touch this goddamn statue." 

"No, I won't let you." 

"And why not!"

"Knowing you, you'll break it by breathing on it." 

I bite my lip. "That's not true..." 

He smirks. "You hesitated."

"Did not!" 

"Admit it, you did, now—" 

"So what, I hesitated! It doesn't stop me from doing what I desire!" I turn my body just so it makes it difficult for him to keep my grip on my arm. I move in front of him at an angle that prevents him from trying to forcefully stop me in succeeding in my actions. I reach out and touch the object labeled 'statue' and find it so weird to the touch, not smooth like you expect most statues to be, but a little bit of... no, I don't even want to describe it. 

However, my moments of identifying the objects feel ran short when there was a small aggressive push from behind me, enough to make me lose my balance. My hands instantly rush to grab the sides of the counter to steady myself, and in that process, my worst nightmare occurred. The middle of my forearm hit the surprisingly light baby thing, and it to the floor, hitting its extended arm first before the rest of its body rolled in the continuation of its momentum. 

It only landed with a thud, the carpeted floor absorbing most of its sound—and the intensity of the contact. 

I exhale deeply when I see the figure is unbroken. With narrowing eyes, I whip towards him. "What did you do that for?!" 

"Do what?" 

Oh, so you're playing dumb. "You pushed me, asshole!" 

"Oh, so now it's my fault." 

I inhale deeply, remembering to keep my voice lower since we don't want trouble from the woman from earlier. "Yes, it is." I bend down and pick up the ugly thing and cradle it in my arms. "You poor thing. That big meanie behind you shoved me and made you fall." 

"Wai—what the hell are you doing?" he stammers. 

I pretend not to here him. "He can be so rude, hurting something so—" 

"Hey!" he whisper-shouts a little louder than his previous remarks. 

"Excuse you, do not interrupt me!" 

"You are done with that thing—" 

"No, don't touch it!" I hiss and use my body as a protective shield for the statue. 

"No—come on, give it—" he demands as he reaches over me, obviously having an advantage with his height compared to mine. Even if I'm not extremely short, he's just... that tall. 

"Ah!" I squirm under his arms and attempt to escape his grasp, but one arm held firm on me while the other reached out for the baby statue. I extended my arm hoping that he wouldn't reach but it was to no avail.

Right as his hand clasped over mine, threatening to rip the figure out from my tight grip, something alarmed us both. It sounded like a heavy object dropped. We turn our heads to the source, to the older woman behind the counter gaping at us with her jaw hanging open. Her arms were positioned as if she were holding something, but it seems it's no longer in her possession. 

That's when I realized what our situation looked like. 

"Uh..." 

I was tempted to use this moment to embarrass Sasuke and say some stupid shit like, "We can't do that here~" or "Paws off! I'm not your toy!" Hmph, he should be lucky I'm not going to do anything like that. I'm a little nice, after all. 

On the other hand, what excuse do I use to get us out of this? 

A terrible idea sets in and gives my body the command to go. I'm so dumb. 

I sink down to the ground to get out of Sasuke's hold, my hand still holding the figure? His hand? Both? At this point, I'm not sure. Whichever connects me to him. I continue to spin and pop up away from him, still holding 'hands', having the stance of a ballerina. Finally, I release the statue and curtsey. "Thank you for the dance," I say with all my might to keep from a scowl or anything of the like. 

However, he didn't really take the message to heart. He glowers at me, which I am now used to, and straightens his posture. As if he knows me so well, he sets down the thing back onto the counter, far away from me. 

Internally rolling my eyes, I turn to the woman with a reassuring look, doing my best to dismiss the fact that her eyes were boring into mine. "Haha, we just got bored so we practiced our dance." With a hand hiding my mouth from Sasuke, I whisper, "We hate the dance, but if we don't practice, we'll fail the class and we can't let that happen." 

Somehow persuading her, she nods in understanding and bends down to pick up the box. "Well, practicing here isn't a swell idea. You might break something." 

I feel the immediate stare from the Uchiha boy. "Yeah, we wouldn't want that, would we?" 

Irritated, I mock him quietly enough that he can see me doing it but only when the woman isn't watching me. I risk a glance to him as he mumbled a few words. Luckily, I stopped pretending just as the woman came up from under the counter, just in time to save myself before Sasuke pulverized me. 

"You're lucky I wrapped this delicately or it would've broken," the older woman explains as she sets the box on the counter next to her cashier. 

Sasuke approaches her, pulling out his wallet and swiping through his plenty of bills (wouldn't surprise me if they were ten thousand yen bills... [100 dollar bills]). 

"Oh, hey," a new voice, a much younger one said. 

I turn to the female teenager my age and, my Jashin, I'm stunned.

She had ombre hair tied up into a messy bun, some short hairs hanging perfectly around her face, matching with her lightly tanned skin giving her a tropical look. Her face was flawless: the perfect jawline, the perfect curves for her nose, lush lips, sharp eyebrows, and her eyes—oh my Jashin, her eyes. They were the prettiest feature of her if you had to compare all of her beautiful qualities. They were that blue-green-grey sort of color. You know, the really pretty light-colored, ever-changing eyes that reflected the light perfectly, contrasting with her long dark and thick lashes. 

If I were lesbian, I'd be for her straight away. 

"Uh, hello? You okay?" her angelic voice sings as her hand gracefully waves across my face. 

"I... uh..." I try to respond but fail to do so. "Hi..." 

She giggles, and what a wonderful one it was. Even her little laugh sounded just enough childish as it did cutely, and it matched her well. 

Only, she didn't hold her gaze on me as long as I wished for. Her gorgeous eyes shifted from me to said someone, and immediately, the look in her eyes changed. To be honest, I was a little disappointed she was more interested in the Uchiha than me, but if she's completely straight, then I get it. Still, I don't see what she sees in him... 

My eyes narrow at the guy as he hands the older woman a bill to pay for whatever the hell is wrapped inside that box. I try to look for the traits the girl next to me instantly fell for once she glanced at him. I didn't. 

"Hey, is he with you?" she asks. 

I turn to her with bored eyes. "Yeah," the word rolls off my tongue. 

Her face droops, seeming disappointed. "Oh. You're really lucky." 

I raise a brow, confused. "What? Why would I be—" I gasp with a look of horror on my face as I realized what she took my 'yeah' as. "No, no, no, no, no. We're not—no. We're not a thing. Ew, Jashin, no! I just meant we came here together, like, not two separate customers—I... ugh. We're not dating if that's what you were asking." 

Her eyes sparkle once she hears the news. She giggles at my finicky way of trying to save myself, but that chuckle doesn't last long as her eyes, again, lay on the said boy. "Really?" 

"Yeah, he's not dating anyone either," I breathe as I put my hands on my head. "Don't think he's ever dated, either." 

That interested her. "How come?" 

"He rejects every girl that confesses to him," I cough. "But, most of the girls are his 'fangirls' and always pester him. I can see why he'd say no to them." 

"Do you think... I could—" she cuts herself short. "Actually, nevermind. I shouldn't have asked anything. That was very inappropriate of me." 

How are you supposed to respond to that comment? 

I keep my lips sealed as my eyes settle on her fidgeting, eyes darting everywhere but to make contact with me or him, her head held low. Eventually, I sighed. "It wasn't inappropriate of you. You were curious, that's all." I give her a reassuring smile. 

"Y-yeah..." 

"Look, if you want to talk to him, I could get his phone number for you." 

As quickly as she had gotten down on herself, she became peppy and excited. "Really? You'd do that?" 

"Haha, of course," I say triumphantly, hands resting on my hips. "I ca—" 

"Let's go," the broody voice interrupted. 

The girl raises a hand with a strong desire to say something, anything to make him stay just a bit longer. Once she accepts the fact that her once in a lifetime chance to meet with the one and only Sasuke Uchiha has passed, she turns to help the older woman. 

I whip my head back and forth between the two and formulate a quick plan. The bulb flickers above my head as I reach over the counter and grab the girl's hand. "Give me your number." 

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interest—" 

"For him, not me!" I retort. 

Her eyes momentarily move passed me and I swear, I could see her already falling for him hard. She knew it, too, that she was never getting him out of her mind. So, she nodded and took one of the sticky notes by the cashier along with a pen, and quickly scribbled the digit code used to contact her. Knowing I have to leave, she just slaps it on my shirt. 

I spin on my heel to leave only for something to tug on my shirt. 

"Why are you helping me?" she asks with curiosity flowing around her irises. "Are you not interested?" 

"(Y/n)." 

"Me? Him? No," I answer, ignoring my warning call. "And helping you? I... Why not?" 

She smiles and holy Jashin, a love arrow shot through my heart. "Thank you." 

"No problem," I grin back. With that ending our conversation, I skid past all of the familiar antiques. Half-way to my destination, I spare a glance back at the girl who no longer pays attention to me now, but rather dedicating herself to help the elderly woman clean up around the desk. I smile to myself. Maybe this will work out.

My first experience as a matchmaker might turn out better than I'm planning.


	15. XIII

"Ugh, why not!" 

"Drop it, (Y/n)!" 

"I will not!" I complain, slapping my hands on my thighs in frustration. 

"I will. We're done with this conversation." 

"But—" 

"No! I am not going to send her a message," he yells, tearing his eyes off the road for only a moment and still somehow maintaining control. 

"Dude, did you even see her?! She was gorgeous, kind—" 

"Just because you see someone once doesn't mean you know them." 

"I know that," I stammer, crossing my arms. "But just because you don't know her doesn't mean you shouldn't even try! I bet you she's perfect." 

"I don't care. I'm not in the mood to start a relationship if that's what you're trying for." 

"Oh, why not? I've never seen you in a relationship ever. You've rejected every girl that's ever confessed their undying love to you. It's almost as if... you're gay," I conclude, sneaking a glance over to the driver who flinched at hearing the word. 

"I'm not gay." 

"Bisexual then?" 

"No—" 

"Asexual?! That makes perfect sense. You avoid almost everyone you talk t—" 

"Stop assuming my sexual orientation." 

I keep my lips sealed for a couple of seconds, waiting for his nerves to calm down only for me to burst them again. "You didn't deny that last—" 

"(Y/n)." 

"Sasuke?" 

He inhales deeply. He's doing really good at calming himself no matter how annoying I am. "We're stopping at two more places before we head back. Can you please not try to hook me up with random people there? Regardless of gender?" 

I gulp when the dark aura around him grows. "Yep. No problem." 

"And do not embarrass yourself." 

"How do I embarrass myself?" 

"You do it without trying, there's no stopping you." 

I pursue my lips. "Well, excuse you...” I feel a smirk creep up on my lips. “Sasugay.” 

”Jashin—I swear—“

”I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” I squeal as laughter fills the too quiet of a car. “You have to admit it, though. That was a good one! Hahaha! Get it? C-cause you’re—“ 

“I get it,” he snaps. 

”Then why aren’t you laughing?” 

”Because it’s not funny.”

My giggle starts to die. “Yeah, it was! That was hila—“ 

“Shut up for the rest of the ride, alright?” 

I stare at him not sparing me a glance anymore. I’m sure his sole reason for side glaring me was to scare me from continuing whatever it was I was doing. “Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.”

”I knew this was a mistake to bring you along.” 

”Had Sakura been at her house, then we wouldn’t have had this problem.”

“Oh, so blame it on someone else.” 

You’ve got to be kidding me. “Seriously? I was just putting it out there that the reason this all happened was that Sakura was at your house and had Naruto nor you not been around, Sakura and I would still be working on our projects. Naruto got her riled up and Sakura got sidetracked.” 

”You’re still blaming, I see.” 

”I’m not—you asked me to come with, and as my decision, I said yes. It was also my fault, too! I’m not saying it wasn’t at all!” 

”Well, maybe make that clear next time.” 

”Why are you even getting so riled up about this? It’s not that big of a deal!” 

”Oh, it’s not, is it?” 

”What’s the big problem?” I grit my teeth. “What did I do to make you all annoyed like this, huh?” 

”Why don’t you try to answer that yourself, Miss I’m-Above-Everyone.”

”Miss I’m—what? You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumble as I start to chuckle out of anger. 

”Does it look like I’m in the mood for jokes? Or is everything just a joke to you?” 

“Jokes? You think I’m all jokes?!” 

”Seeing as you take nothing seriously, I believe so.” 

Oh, I really never had positive thoughts about this guy, but I’ve never had such negative conclusions until now; I did absolutely nothing wrong and he’s already accusing me. “Well, at least I know how to take jokes! All you are is broody and serious!” 

”Is there a problem with that?” 

”Yes! There is!” I stammer. “You’re, what, seventeen?” 

”So age is the reason for our stupidity?” 

”Stupidity?!” 

”I am the son of the CEO of the Uchiha Cooperations, I don’t have time to take jokes, much rather make them.”

”Oh, so social status is the reason for our lifelessness?” 

”It’s not lifelessness. It’s an important business to uphold my family and I take it very seriously.”

”Oh, I know, just like you take everything else seriously.” 

”High school isn’t going to keep me alive. A job will.” 

I shake my head. “High school only happens once. 3 years, and you’re off to a college and then off to your career. In those three years, I’m free to do anything and be a little careless because I won’t have these opportunities when I’m an adult! You’re sacrificing all of that—!”

”I’m not sacrificing anything. I’m plenty satisfied with how I’m living now.” 

”How can you be?” I growl. “Sure, live up to your parents' expectations and don’t be a disgrace to your family and whatnot, but you’re a teenager! Can’t you have a little fun?” 

”I have fun.”

I bite my lip from trying to hold back my laugh. “Oh, really? And what do you do to have fun?” 

He pauses for a moment, and I can’t tell if he’s deciding whether or not to tell me what he does in his time, or if he doesn’t do anything fun at all. “What’s it to you?” 

”I’m trying to prove a point.” 

”You’re proving nothing.” 

”Whatever. I still think you should laugh and joke around a little more.” 

”There’s no need for any of that. Will jokes really help me become successful? Will it make me any money? No. It won’t.” 

”No, but it’ll definitely build better relationships with friends, coworkers, and even a lover if you just goddamn take one instead of turning every single one of those girls down with no remorse or guilt, not even an ounce of care for their feelings that have just been crushed. What’s so wrong with just trying to get to know one of them for a change?!” 

”If I thought it was important to find a partner, I would have a long time ago.” 

I shake my head and cook my tongue. “I highly doubt that.” 

”Is that so?” 

”Yes, it is so! You’re not even considering talking to the hot girl for the Antique Shop!” 

”There’s no reason to get together with someone who won’t help further my chances of success in life.” 

Something about that phrase makes me freeze. ”Is that what you think ‘getting together’ with someone means?” My eyes linger on him in disbelief. 

”What else would I need it for?” 

My mouth dries on the spot and I do nothing, not even peep a sound. So, the almighty Uchiha, my supposed soulmate, thinks relationships are meant for nothing but financial success. That’s... that’s... 

“It seems I’ve finally shut that trap of—“ 

“Stop the car.” 

”What?” 

”I said stop the car, you asshole!” I yell. 

Sasuke gives me a look of confusion, analyzing me to see if I was ‘joking’ or not. When he saw the threatening glare piercing his eyes, I think he got the message that this wasn’t something I was laughing about. Reluctantly, he pulls the car over and stops it, out of the way of traffic. 

As soon as the car stopped rolling, I jab the unbuckle box and reach the door so I could escape. 

”What are you doing?” he questions, watching my frustrating movements as I’m not able to unlock the car. 

”Getting out of here!” I angrily respond. My hand aggressively opens and closes the handle in hopes the number of repeated times I did it would magically unlock the door. 

”Oh my Jashin, sit back in your seat and—“

”No!” I basically screech. Whipping around, I lean over him to reach his door and find the unlock button quickly. I jam my finger in the process of pressing it, but I'm too angry to care right now. There are four clicks all around the car that snap in unison. Upon hearing them, I jolt back to my side and scram out of the seat as I throw open the door. 

"What are you doing?!" he demands, trying to reach over to me. 

"Leaving!" I hiss whipping my body away before I'm caught in his grasp. 

"Where're you gonna go, then?" 

"Home, goddamnit! Where else?" 

"How do you propose doing that?!" 

I glare daggers at him. "I have my ways." 

"Is that—" 

"Don't underestimate me, asshole!" I shout as I slam the door on him and end our conversation. I'm not the type to cry, but that doesn't mean I don't carry the shaking feeling as I glare hard into the dimmed window, feeling mixed emotions.

I don't regret anything as I spin on my heel and walk away from him. I don't have time to deal with his bullshit. What's more, I can't believe that it's my soulmate who's giving me it.


	16. XIV

"Don't underestimate me, asshole!" With that, I storm away from the car in any direction but the way we were originally going. My hands are clenched so tightly, my knuckles appear white. My body shakes from a lot of things, anger being the biggest one. I just can't believe this guy!

Who does he think he is? What kind of person would—how the hell can you think that?! Is everything just about success for him? All about business, all about money, all about—Jashin, that's all rich kids ever think, isn't it! Fame, fortune, success! Can they let their demeanor just slip for a bit and allow them to have some fun? Is that too much? 

"There’s no reason to get together with someone who won’t help further my chances of success in life." 

His words repeat in my mind over and over again, only adding to the boiling heat in my veins. Who just openly says that? He obviously does, and there was no hint of regret in his voice. Does he seriously believe everything has to be put towards his chances of success? That anything else whether enjoyable or not, is meaningless if it has no value to his status? He's such a—

Ouch. 

I stop in my roaring tracks to peer down at my throbbing finger. It's the finger I jabbed the unlock button with. A minor hit to the finger, but with my problem, nothing is just a 'little scratch' to me. Not that this was an important matter for me, but I still need to tend to it. Let me just—

Of course. 

I left my goddamn Emergency Kit in that asshole's car! Jashin—! 

I raise a fist and aim it for the nearest post and go to knock it to Australia, but I realize how stupid that idea was before my knuckles connect with the cold metal, so it ends up being a soft blow. The frustration exhausting me, I lean my forehead against the back of my hand and stare at my throbbing finger dangling lifelessly below me. I don't know how to compare my pain to yours, but I'd say that the small jam feels like, what you would call, a broken finger. Nothing too serious. 

However, it's gonna get serious if I don't have my EK with me. How stupid can I be? Honestly! I am the biggest of the big idiots, forgetting something so important in the side pocket of the door. How angry I must've been to leave it there, and just walk away! 

Well, maybe the argument wasn't that important, or the pain in my finger steadily growing is affecting my concentration and thought process. I mean, why was I so worked up over him seeing marriage as only something to further success? Did I get defensive because women are so much more than tools to help you become more successful in your career? Or was I upset because that's the type of person my soulmate is?

I shouldn't care what he thinks. I already decided that the label 'soulmate' has no effect on my opinions of people.

As a sudden wave of fire beats in my finger, I scrunch up my nose and bite my lip. This reminds me of a more pressing matter to hand.

Either I have to get home quick to tend to it, or I go back to that asshole's car and get my medicine. He's probably already driven off to his next location at this point, so it'd be hopeless to find him now. My best option would be to go home... if I could figure out where I'm at. 

I squeeze my finger while I helplessly look around to get an idea of where I might be. I could ask for a taxi, but my money is also in my EK. My phone, too. Basically everything. 

I have my ways! I shouted at him. Don't underestimate me! 

What an idiot I was to say that. I should think before I speak before I find myself in these situations. I have no ways, and I'm underestimating myself. Quite the turntables. 

The pain snaps in my finger and I take a sharp inhale of breath. There's a stinging in the back of eyes that induce tears. Not enough to have them fall down my face but just enough to make my eyes look too glossy. Besides the effects of exhaustion, I notice the slight blur to my vision. I dismiss it. It does happen often. 

Doing my best to focus on my mission, I search for a shop that would offer me information. There's a small souvenir shop across the road. Compared to the other huge shops or apartment residents, they look friendly enough to help me. 

I shove my hand in my pocket and apply as much pressure as I can to my finger while I wait for the light to change to green. For some reason, whenever you're in a hurry, the crosswalks you end up at always have longer time periods than any other crosswalk you stop at on any other day. Maybe I'm just anxious, but I swear that's how the physics work. 

There's a tingling near the bottom of my finger which means the numbness is soon to begin. I'd rather take not feeling anything than feeling pain at all. I just wish the numbness happened more often. Only my luck.

The light switches green and I, along with several others, cross the main road. I add a little jog to my walk because I'm in pain and I wanna go home so I don't feel it nagging at me anymore. 

I skip all the way to the mini shop and don't realize how hot I am until I feel the wonderfully cool air from a fan above hitting my slightly sweaty skin. It's refreshing as I feel completely exhausted from the summer blaze. Only a few minutes being exposed outdoors in the sun, and I can recognize the effects of weariness just from a small gust.

Thankfully, I was able to catch it from encountering this store. Albeit, there's nothing I can do about it, but at least I'm aware of it earlier rather than later. 

The store is on the smaller end of the scale. Similar to the Antique shop before, everything's crammed tightly with only two aisles leading to the back counter of the store. The shelving is packed and the walls are filled with colorful masks, posters, clothing, and other displayable cloth items. As interesting as this small store is, I cannot spare many more moments.

Without paying attention to any of the fascinating items, I zoom to the back, finding a gentleman. He's filling out papers in the cramped area he's smooshed in. 

"Uh, hello, sir?" I ask in the sweetest voice I can. Yes, I may have screwed that up at the Antique's, but if I can knock off the first impression—the sweet and kind girl in need of assistance—then I can go places. 

The man looks up from his papers. "Hello, miss. How may I help you?" 

I fake a giggle. "I seem to be lost. Can you tell me which town I'm in?" 

"Kumo," he answers. "Where do you come from?" 

My mouth dries instantly. After being informed of my whereabouts, it's difficult to process that I'm very far away from home. Simply, I'm shocked but not disappointed. With the way events are unravelling, I should've expected this sort of news. Yet, I'm still worried. 

"Konoha," I answer with a closed grin, hiding my panicking state under my skin. 

He gapes, seeming just as baffled as I am. "Konoha...? Are you lost?" 

"Haha, it's a complicated story..." I scratch the back of my head. "Could you perhaps point me in the direction of Konoha?" 

The man sighs deeply as he pulls out his phone. He starts typing something, I hope in Maps, and when he receives his results, the glint in his eyes turns to pity. Instead of mumbling directions, he simply rotates the phone to face me.

As soon as I saw the route for walking, I nearly collapsed. I know Konoha and Kumo are distant regions, but I didn't expect this extent. 

"Ah," slips my mouth after a moment of silence. "Well, I should get going now. Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your help!" I act cheery as I head on out of the store, doing my best not to breakdown when I realized how helpless I am. I turn my head in the direction of the first turn that was displayed on the maps and sigh. "Dad's gonna be so mad..." 

Dad. 

Although that alone was able to take my mind off of my prolonged journey and my frustration with Sasuke, it surfaced a new worry. The time allotted was more than what I hoped, meaning I would arrive home later than preferred. Not only that but when my father finds out that I got lost from my stupidity, he will be more than furious. After all, I stormed out of my only safe transportation home, left my most valuables items in the vehicle, and injured myself in the process.

I shudder at the thought.

With a deep inhale of the hot air, I let all of my thoughts wash away before reopening my eyes to the now soundless city I'm going to explore on my journey home. I block out all the clashing noises that may unnerve my meditation, the engines of cars once blaring its sounds now sound muffled and distant, the conversations being turned to slurs of voices, no longer forming words, and the beeping coming from the 'you can now walk' pedestrian light slowly fades into nothingness. 

Whenever I start to panic or stress, I always have to calm myself down with certain methods. Stress has a huge impact on me. Like temperature, it can amplify the pain or even create pain from weeks' past. CPS is all neurological, and stress is strongly relative to that. Ever since my several occurrences as a child, I learned how largely it can affect me. With pain, you learn. In my case, I learned how to deal with stress. 

After the peaceful silent moments of recollecting myself, I stride over to the first crosswalk. My eyes focus on the tick marks counting down for the amount of time I have left until I cross the street. When it flicks green, I march my way across, keeping a constant breath. I repeat this until I feel I walked just far enough to make my first turn. 

Visualizing the expected path on his maps, I imagine routes going every which way, but I only know one is the correct path—by how it feels. Left. This is where the roads get slimmer and scarce of people. Not being on the main street isn't unlikely, but I still get off vibes from it. 

Down one road is very narrow, especially with tall buildings guarding me against the cooling wind. The moist, hot air seeps through the holes of my clothes and I feel the sweat start to form. Days like this really make me wish carrying ice was easy. Sadly, it's not. 

My finger throbs here and there, but the pain isn't super intense. Maybe it's because I'm cutting off its circulation, or maybe my exhaustion and worry are distracting me from it. Who knows, maybe it's both. 

It's maybe been twenty minutes since I first embarked on my way home, and I sure as hell have a long way left to go. In Kumo, the traffic flow for people and cars isn't too thick compared to Konoha, where some parts are completely packed. Once I get to the traffic-jammed area, I'll know I'm close to home, but making it through the streets will be much harder than it is right now. 

Which is why I decide to J-walk in one of the side streets connecting to the main road further up ahead. Maybe I was in such a daze and was too concentrated on getting home that I didn't see or hear a car flying towards me. The sun wasn't glaring in my eyes or anything, so I'm not sure what the problem was, but once the horn went off, I finally realized—almost too late. 

With fear overriding my system, I went into a fight or flight. I gulp the urge to scream as I jump back two feet, the car screeching to a hard stop, inches away from where I'm standing. My whole body shakes at the thought of getting so close to being roadkill. My breath scatters its pace while I try to process and recover from this. 

"Holy shit," I whispered and stumble backward. My hand instinctively went to my chest in some sort of way to help me breathe, or make sure my heart was still beating properly. It must've been a few moments before I managed to gather myself and straighten up. 

"Oi, what the hell were you doing?!" My eyes widen when I hear him. 

That voice... what are the odds?


	17. XV

"What the hell were you doing?!" 

I whip my head around to him (you would've never guessed who), standing behind his open car door. There's no right way for me to react, so I just stare at the Uchiha like a deer in the headlights, my expression clearly reading 'what the hell do I do now?' while his face is just pure pissed. Had we been in a room, my gulp would've been very audible. 

"Long time, no see," I utter. 

"No shit." 

So, he's still angry since the last time we talked. Of course, he would, why wouldn't he? He's the arrogant Sasuke of our class, it's to be expected. 

"What the hell were you doing just walking out in the street?!" 

His irate mood only makes me rebirth my frustration. "Oh, were you worried?" I sarcastically spit. 

"Why would I be worried about you?" 

I fold my arms. "I was talking about the other beauty on this street. Your car, Yolanda." 

Confusion splashes over his face. He looks beyond horrified by the name I gave his car. "Do not ever call her Yolanda." 

"Oh, so it's a 'her'? Wow, gender shaming." 

"Excuse me?" 

"First you only see us, women, as a tool, and now cars as females, too. Just tools!" 

I swear his eye twitched. "What the—You've got to be kidding me." 

"How am I kidding you?!" I stammer, raising my voice a little more. To add emphasis, I throw my arms out beside me. "That would be making a joke, and apparently that's unimportant."

As if calming himself down, he closes his eyes and rests for a few seconds.

I choose not to say anything else feeling the throbbing in my finger worsening, and that if I talk, I'll choke and he'll notice, and then he'll tell the whole school that I have zero pain tolerance, which means I'll get picked on by everyone physically and then everything will—

"Get in the car." His demand cuts my thoughts off, leaving me to stare blankly at him. 

"What?" 

"Do I have to repeat myself?" 

I cross my arms, hiding my burning finger in the fold of my other arm, and I do my best to add as much pressure without it appearing too weird. "I thought you still had to run errands." 

"I finished, idiot." 

"Who you calling idiot, asshole?" 

"Who are you calling asshole?" 

"I'm calling you the asshole, you female-hating—" 

"Just get in the car so we can go." 

"How do I know you won't abduct me this time?" I interrogate, even though I know I'm going to go in his car, I just have to keep my stubborn act up otherwise I'll let the pain get to me. 

He holds out a hand in a position that said 'are you serious?' "Because I didn't do it last time?" 

"Because you failed last time and you can succeed this time. Give me a better reason." 

"Because if I were to do anything to you, I'd ruin everything for my family." 

I raise a brow. "Explain." 

"Because they would know it was me who did something." 

My brows knit together and I pretend to think over his explanation with detail. My finger shot one painful zap and it was enough for me to accept his response. 

As you would expect, it was awkward sitting in the car, especially with the radio he likes to keep off. He wouldn't say anything to me, which I'm not complaining about, but he would sneak glances my way every now and then. Every time I would reach for my EK for the medicine to ease my finger pain, he would look at me. The coward I am pretended to reach for my phone to check notifications. (If you were wondering, there were none. As always.) 

The times I wasn't on my phone, I played with my pounding finger. At this point, the tip of my pointer finger feels like it's about to burst, an effect from squeezing the life out of it. I tried applying pressure in any way possible in attempts to dim the dark throb. Nothing seemed to work. 

"Why do you keep doing that?" 

My eyes shift to him, my head still kept forward. "Doing what?" I spit. 

He sighs. "Nevermind." He shakes his head and faces the road again. 

Now I'm annoyed. "No, what is it?" 

"It's nothing." 

"It's something." 

"No, it's not." 

"Tell me." 

"I don't have to." 

"Why not?" 

"Because it's not important." 

I roll my eyes. "No, tell me." 

"No." 

"Yes." 

"No." 

"Yes." 

"No." 

"No," I say, attempting reverse psychology. 

"Glad we finally agree on something." 

I silently gasp, upset my plan didn't work out properly. "Come on! You can't just—" 

"Can't just what?" 

"Accuse me of doing something!" 

"I didn't accuse you." 

"Then what was I doing? Cause I sure as hell don't know." 

"Well, aren't you just pipey." 

"Pipey?!" I stammer. "I am not pipey, asshole!" 

Coming to the red light, he hits the breaks harder than what's comfortable (probably on purpose), and I almost hit my head on the dashboard. 

"Dude!" I yell. 

"What?" 

"You did that on purpose!" 

"Did what on purpose?" 

"You—you—" 

"Are you accusing me of something? What was I doing?" he mocks me. 

A vein bulges out from the side of my head. This guy—

Defeated, I sit back in my seat, glaring out the window, reverting back to my old grumpy state. The outside is getting crowded, which means we're getting closer to Konoha and I'll finally be home soon. Just the thought of finally being close to home relieves me of my soft beating headache and the immense throbbing in my finger. Of course, the reflection of light off a bike resurfaces my headache, annoys my sensitive eyes, and my finger screams louder than before. 

Right now, I just want to enjoy the rest of my day in bed, watch shows, eat my dad's cookies and sleep this day away. What I would kill to have that right now. 

"You're doing it again." 

"Doing what?!" I whip my head to him. "Are you actually gonna tell me this time, or are you just getting on my nerves at this point?!" 

"Both." 

"Why you—!" 

"You keep messing with your finger." 

"Is there something wrong with that?" 

"The way you're messing with it makes it seems like there's something wrong." 

I raise a brow. "Oh? Can I not mess with my fingers a certain way? Is it annoying you?" 

He side-eyes me. "It looks like you want to chop off your finger." 

I stiffen. Is it that obvious? "What makes you say that?" 

There was no need for words. All he had to do was point at my hands which I subconsciously trip to suffocate. Caught red-handed. Literally for that matter. 

Embarrassed for being caught, I untangle my hands and sit on them so I don't have any temptations. I don't need anyone to find out about my condition, and especially not some rich jerk like Sasuke. No way. 

"You didn't answer my question," he reminds me, slightly scowling at me. 

"What question?" 

"You really like to get on my nerves, don't you?" 

"I mean, yes, but I seriously don't know what question." 

He inhales deeply, seeing that complying with me will get him farther than trying anything else. "Why did you keep doing that?" He nods his head to my hands. 

My blood runs cold, causing goosebumps to accent my skin. "Uh... well..." 

"Great answer." 

"Shut up! I'm trying—I..." I recline in my seat. There's no way to escape this and I know that. I mean, lying will get me nowhere, especially with an Uchiha who can see through anything. If I do tell him, it's not like he's gonna care. "It doesn't matter." 

"Tell me," he demands. 

"No," I spit. 

"Yes." 

"No." 

"Yes." 

"No." 

"No." 

"Yes." 

...

"Wait—" I hitch. 

"Too late, I win," the Uchiha said with a smirk. As quickly as it appeared, though, it drops. "Now tell me." 

In the tiniest little-kid voice I could muster, I bunch all of my words together like this, "iznothingijustjammedmyfinganothintooimportant." (don't worry about trying to decipher it.)

"What?" 

"Oh, looks like I already told you, so too late." 

"Nuh-uh. Spill it." 

"I just did!" 

"In Japanese." 

"It was!" 

"Clearly." 

"... it wa—" 

"You hesitated." 

"I—" 

"Spill." 

I knit my brows together in fury. "Fine. Iz nothing. I just jammed my finga. Nothin' too important." 

"Okay, louder, please." 

"Jiminy! You just have to have everything perfect, don't you? High standards and everything—Ow!" I hurl over, gingerly holding the finger that decided to attempt suicide.

Do you ever have that weird sliver of pain off to the side of your finger, so small yet so unbearable? It doesn't sting, even when you think it does. It just throbs and no matter how hard you apply pressure, nothing works? That one weird finger cramp that decides to vibe check you? Yeah, multiply that by ten, have three slivers, and have them all synced in pain zaps. That should give you a pretty solid idea of what roughly just happened. 

"You can't just do that!" 

I decide ignoring him is the better option, especially when I'm controlling my breathing. Deep breath in... deep breath out... deep breath in... deep breath out. Breathe... 

The car slows to a stop quickly. I can't tell if he pulled over to the side of the road, or he didn't see the red stoplight come that fast and had to hit harder. Whatever option, it made me feel guilty. Like it was my fault for all of this happening. Even when I think annoying him is so fun, I suddenly feel bad about causing him so much trouble. How does that work? 

"Hey, sit up," he demands. 

"I'm fine!" I shout back. 

"No, you're not. Now get up." He grabs me by the shoulder and yanks me upward, forcing me to look forward. 

"Hey!" I scream. "Get yo nasty hands off of me!" 

"That's what you're worried about?" 

I slap his hands away. "And you're not?!" 

"Oh my Jashin, just give me your hand!" 

"Are you trying to seduce me?!" 

"How is the hell is that going to seduce you?!" 

"You're an asshole, I don't know!" 

"Wow, great reason. I'm convinced." 

"Shut up!" 

Sasuke finally realizes that I won't cooperate with him, so he reaches over for my hand. 

"Nooo!" I screech as I fully lean away from him and cling to the side of the car. "Leave me alone!" 

"Holy Jashin, calm down, will you?!" 

"Ah!" 

"Stop!" 

"NO!" 

He's strangling me at this point all in order to get to my finger. He's so persistent, like, get the message, dude. I don't need you to... whatever you're doing! After minutes of screaming, kicking, hitting, and numerous insults thrown at each other, he manages to get a hold of my pounding phalange. 

"Mmm! Let go!" 

"No! Just stay still!" 

I do the exact opposite. 

The expression on his face was priceless. My entire goal is to disobey him and annoy him, and the way he reacts to it is hilarious. His face just read done. He turns back to my finger and examines it. "There's nothing wrong with it." 

"Exactly! I'm fine! So, let go before I—" my voice cuts short once the spark ignites again. I make a high pitched squeal while I clench my fist tightly. "Jashin, this timing—" I breathe, strained. 

"What the hell did you do?" he stammers and, again, takes my hand again for a second examination. 

"Nothing!" I squeak. 

"You're a horrible liar." 

I'd roll my eyes and make a sarcastic remark, but the sliver of pain turned into a thin snake, and now a line coming from the outer of my pointer finger stretches up to the inner of my upper arm. Well, isn't this just lovely? 

"It's not broken." 

"I know that!" 

"Well, you're acting as if it is." 

"Oh no, I have a horrible pain tolerance." 

"So you did do something." 

"What? No!" 

He plainly stares at me, ridding everything of emotion. For some reason, this expression managed to attack me more than his glare or scowl. It was enough to send a shiver down my spine. 

Hating to 'admit' and give in, I look away and say, "I jammed my finger. So what?" 

"'So what'?" he repeats. "If you just jammed your finger, then why are you being so overdramatic?" 

"Overdramatic?!" I gasp. "I am not being overdramatic. This hurts like a bitch, alright?!" 

"You're overreacting." 

"Am not!" 

He tosses my hand aside, dismissing it like all the other girls that have confessed to him that he easily turns down. Yes, I made that comparison. 

I bite my lip, now feeling tears brimming my eyes. It requires energy, which I'm slowly losing, and will to keep them in there place. There's no way I'm going to cry in front of this jerk. 

Composing myself, I reach for my EK and scramble to pull out my medicine, nearly dropping it. I pop the lid with one hand (when you do it often, it's routine) and shook one pill out. I turn to Sasuke, who is now driving. I hesitate, noting the obvious frustration painted over his face. He's had enough of me. With a gulp, I finally gather enough courage to ask, "Do you have water?" 

"Water." 

Shit. 

"Uh, yeah. You got some?" 

He mumbles incoherent words as he holds up a fist which I don't know if he'll use to punch me or not. "Does it look like I have water?" 

His voice is surprisingly calm. I don't like that. 

"I—I don't know... Yolanda could be full of mysteries. Who knows if you have a chocolate fountain in here." 

"A chocolate fountain—Is that what you think we have in cars? Is this your first time in one?" 

"No, this is not my first time in a car. You're rich, so who knows what you have in your cars." 

"And your first thought was a chocolate fountain." 

"Are you judging me?" 

He stays silent. 

"Woah, woah, woah. Answer that, mister!" 

"No, I don't think I want to." 

I let out an annoyed groan. "Fine. Do you have water?" 

"No, I don't." 

I mutter something under my breath along the lines of 'wow, so rich, but you don't have the biggest necessity: water.' My eyes peer down at the pill and sirens go off in my head not to do it. 

I gather a lot of saliva in the center of my mouth and keep piling until it'll be enough to help me swallow down the pill. Once satisfied (if you can call that satisfying), I tilt my head back and pop the pill in, feeling it fight against my esophagus as it roughly slides down for processing. 

"You seriously took a pill?" He shakes his head. "Jeez. And I thought Naruto was bad." 

I cross my arms and lean against the car door. "You wouldn't understand, asshat." 

"Funny, like I've never jammed a finger before." 

"I'm not saying you haven't jammed a finger. I'm saying that you wouldn't understand my pain." 

"That made no sense." 

"You make no sense!" 

"Jeez. I feel really bad for your parents." 

I knit my brows together, yet stay silent nonetheless. The weariness was kicking in harder, and I found no energy to even participate in another argument with him. 

Several minutes pass where we say nothing to each, not even either of our breaths could be heard. Complete silence is sewn between us. Those minutes, I admired the outside. As traffic picks up, I begin to draw to my conclusion that we were nearing home.

As I watch buildings fly by, my head droops here and there. I knew it was from the exhaustion. It was probably the heat causing me to feel lifeless. After all, the temperature has a huge effect on my body. Maybe it was all the arguing and adrenaline that drained me, or possibly the pain in my finger is what's making me so drowsy. With CPS, pain can suck out all of your energy. 

Or all the above. All combined for an epic K.O.

This happens for quite some time as I try to keep my gaze out the window. My heavy lids do their best to block me off from the world, shut my body down, and put me out of my misery so I don't have to feel the pain in both my finger and head. I play it off that I'm not that tired and I really am just overreacting. That's how it usually is, right?

That went on for several minutes. 

The moment I forced myself to stay awake, I took note of where I am. I recognize the area we're driving in almost immediately as we turn onto the road, meaning we were nearing the Uchiha resident. We pull into the driveway and up to the garage. As eager as I want to bolt out of the car, grab my stuff, and book it, I stay sitting and zone out to a spot on the wall. My head tips side to side and when I blink, it hurts to keep my eyes open. 

Sasuke slamming the car door wakes me up and I scramble to get all of my things together and basically fall out of the car when attempting to get out. I feel my legs slightly going numb, so maybe that's the reason? 

The pill is meant to work fast, ease the pain quickly so I can save enough time to get help or get my other necessities. Because it works fast to ease the feeling on the nerves, some of my limbs go thrrr-kadip, or more commonly known, numb and lifeless. 

Lights go off in my head as I try to stand up. My body is unexpectedly heavier than before and I'm not even carrying anything. The buzz in my ear should've been another red flag, but by the time I noticed, my body couldn't handle the drug while conscious. It was already too late.

The numbness spreads throughout my entire body and the weight in my eyelids becomes too much for me to handle. My last thought before darkness envelopes me is: 

Dad is gonna be so mad...


	18. XVI

A/n: Filler. This is a family-centered chapter.

※No Sasuke※

I'm positive I never came home yesterday, yet here I am, in my bed, at 3 a.m. I'm sure I zoned out coming home, but I don't even remember past getting out of Sasuke's car after the whole ordeal we had. I ended up falling back asleep until a reasonable time later that morning, but even when I woke up, I still had no recollection of the previous excursions. 

Shaking my head, I slip my feet out of bed and get into my comfy clothes. Sunday is my free day where I am disconnected from the outside world. Days like this are really important because it's a day to myself and I don't have to worry about school, socializing, and outside world festivities. Plus, it's a day I bond with my family. Dad and I always spend a couple of hours watching movies and our favorite shows, Kaito and I play video games, and the rest of the day is to myself which I spend (doing hobbies). 

It's currently 7:30 a.m. and the sizzling from the kitchen seeps from beyond my closed door. Enticed already, I lazily shuffle over to the dining room table to set my phone down and see my dad with his white Beats on, a gift from Kaito and me for father's day, as he silent jams out. He adds ingredients to the omelets to the tune of his song. His humming gets me in high spirits and all I could do is smile. 

When he turns around to get his next item, he sees me and, surprisingly, smiles too. He slides off his Beats and just from them not being enclosed on his ears, I heard the small hums to some Beyoncé song. "Hey, baby-cakes!" 

His reaction stumps me. Because of all the worry and anxiety I had yesterday about him being mad for getting lost or making stupid decisions, I expected a negative response. I thought he would use an aggressive tone, some angry comment, a scolding for me not coming home in time, or—

My thoughts cut short by the tight hug he gives me. He ruffles my hair that I had just brushed, tangles making it seem like I only rolled out of bed. "How's my sweet angel doing this lovely morning?" 

Still confused, I mumble, "Tired..." 

"Aww. After yesterday, I'm sure." 

I raise my brows in concern. "You... know?" 

He responds with a weird look. "Know what?" 

"About yesterday... You said that..." 

"Well, some kid told me everything that happened." Kid? What kid? "He was in your grade. Friends with the Uzumaki's kid, I think. I know his dad, Uchiha Fugaku." 

"You mean Sasuke?" 

"Ah, yes. That's what his name was. Nice kid. He told me everything." 

Oh great, what did that snob tell my dad? What lies did he sprinkle the whole story with? I swear if that asshole said anything to ruin my lovely, free-for-all, lazy Sunday, I'm gonna—

He pulls me into a hug once again, this time with a different energy. "Why didn't you just call me? I would've gotten you the supplies and then you wouldn't have had to worry about going through all of that." 

Utterly perplexed, I stiffen. The words that fell from my dad's mouth didn't ring any bells from Sasuke's and my excursion yesterday. What was he talking about? 

Curiosity overruns my confusion and I decide to play along just so I can find out the rest of this story. "I'm sorry..." 

"No, don't be. It wasn't your fault." He squeezes me tighter. "You just never know who you can trust." 

I stay silent. Not my fault? What? Wouldn't Sasuke say that it was my fault, though? 

"Next time, just ask Sasuke where the bathrooms are, okay?" 

What the hell...? 

"But I followed the signs..." I say, hoping to lead him on. 

"You probably were. But, what happened, though?" He pulls down and looks me dead in the eye. "Did you bump into the guy, did he track you down, how did you meet this guy?" 

Guy? "I... I don't remember." 

"I see. Sasuke told me you said the same thing when he found you." 

I did? He did? What? "I'm not sure everything that happened... it was all a blur..." Now, shoot a shot, make it more believable. "I think it was because of my finger..." 

"What did he do?" He grabs my hand and examines my pointer finger, the exact one I hurt. I'm on the right track so far. 

"The guy... I—he hit it or I hit him on accident. He had me in a grip so I had to... I—" Shit, so much for quick thinking, am I right? 

"Ah. Then maybe the pain made everything worse." 

Without having to lie, I say, "Yeah, it did." 

"The scare from the car probably didn't help either." 

The car? Does he mean Sasuke almost running over me? 

"Idiots these days, I swear. They wait for no one to cross the street. Luckily you and Sasuke got out of the way in time." 

Saved his own ass. I roll my eyes and just decide to take the story as the truth by nodding. 

He ruffles my hair again. "Heard from him you took a pill for your finger. He got concerned and asked me." 

The hairs on the back of my neck shoot straight up. If he finds out, who knows what will happen. I can't afford to let that information slip. I don't need to live the reality my mom always feared for me. I don't need that. "You didn't tell him, did you?" 

He shook his head. "No, but he said he just wanted to know because you were acting strange." 

"I-I was?" 

"He said after you took the pill, you were drowsier than before, and complained that you couldn't feel your legs. He even said when he asked you questions, you wouldn't respond." 

My eyes widen. I know for a fact this whole story was a cover-up, but that one bit might be true. If he did ask questions and I just completely ignored him... What if I subconsciously complained, too? Have I ever done that before? I guess I wouldn't know, would I? 

"Don't worry. I told the kid not to worry about it." 

I smile. "Thank you." 

"Your finger must've hurt pretty badly, though." 

"It did." 

"Did you eat anything with the pill?" 

I shake my head. "We didn't have anything." 

"That's probably why you feel super tired, then." 

I nod. "Probably." 

He stands up and places his hands on his hips with a radiant beam. "Well, today is Lazy Sunday. It'll be a good day for you to recover." However, his grin falls flat once he smells something. "THE OMELETS!" he cries. He throws the egg folds onto a plate while simultaneously jabbing at the off button of the stove. 

The omelets steam from the plate they sit on, their once perfectly golden outside is now tinted with shades of brown. Its scent even screams overcooked. 

"Oh, no!" my dad complains, peering down at what could've been his Morning Masterpiece. "I'm so sorry, (Y/n)." 

"Don't worry about it." 

"But there were supposed to be perfect!" 

Now, you may not have thought this side of me existed, but my not-sarcastic-smartmouth-self can appear for a day. "You making this for me is perfect." 

"Aw, sure, sweetie. But I'm being serious. After yesterday, I wanted to make your favorite omelet over rice! Now they're just... omelet overdone." 

I giggle at his small joke. "I'm going to eat it anyway," I remark as I take one of the plates over to the pot of steaming rice on the other side of the kitchen. I scoop it onto the plate and move my not-so-floppy omelet over it. 

"That looks disgusting." My brother gawks in abomination. "Did you make that?" 

"Haha, funny," I snarl as I purposely bump passed him on the way to the table. 

"H-hey!" he stammers. "Dad, did you see that?! She bumped into me!" 

"I'm sure it was an accident," he responds while following a pursuit on the same process I did with the rice. 

"No, it was on purpose!" 

"No," I lie. "I tried to get to the table. You were just in my way." 

"(Y/n)!" 

"Yes, Kaito?" 

He holds up a fist, his ears fuming a bright shade of red. "You're gonna pay for this!" 

"Aw, how sweet," Dad chimes. He shoves the plate of food into him. "Now, eat up your 'disgusting' food." 

Kaito blankly stares at him, his arm lazily grabbing the plate. All the while walking to the seat across from me at the dining table, he continues to stare down Dad. 

"I have to run into work this morning." 

"You do?" I question. 

"Why?" Kaito demands. 

Dad shrugs and grabs a towel to wipe off his hands. "Apparently, they're low on staff today, so I'll be going in." 

"B-but our movie marathon!" I cry. 

"I'll be back later tonight," he reassures. "Just play games with Kaito and enjoy your free time." 

"But Dad..." 

"You go back to school tomorrow and with finals coming up soon, you're going to need this." 

I nod. "Yeah, I guess." 

"And Kaito." 

"Yee, pops?" Kaito howls with a look of alarm. 

I mouth the word 'yee?' to him. What is he, eight? 

"Take care of (Y/n) while I'm gone. If she needs something, don't complain or argue. Be a good brother for once." 

Kaito's face drains of color after hearing that. With a scowl, he turns back his food and shoves his face full to avoid any further conversation. 

"(Y/n), don't abuse that power. He's your brother, not your maid." He kisses my forehead. "Alright, I'm off! See you guys tonight for dinner. And Kaito, finish your work before I get back." 

"Fine..." he growls and looks away. 

"Bye!" he cheers with a girlish tone, faking a giggle as he waltzes out the door. My dad is such a dork, it's a cross between funny, cute, and embarrassing. Luckily, he only acts this way at home. In public, oh, thank Jashin, he does not! 

After he left, the apartment grew extremely quiet. So quiet, I can hear his game's muffled music hush small tunes from Kaito's bedroom. I recognized some of the chords from his game: Fallout 76. Even the outside seemed to be tired this morning with few cars roaming the streets and one or two trains barreling down the rails. It was a very peaceful Sunday morning until...

"Do you have to chew so loudly?!" Kaito slams his fists on the table. 

I freeze in my chewing and glare at him. "Excuse me?" 

"Jashin, you sound so loud, a whale is jealous you're mating call is louder than his!" 

My mouth drops open. "Are you kidding me?! I am not chewing that loud!" 

"Oh, yes, you are! I could probably hear it from a mile away!" 

"Oh no! You have sensitive ears! By golly, now I have to be cautious of that! But wait... that doesn't seem to add up... because you would be hearing Dad call you the first time he shouts your name!" 

"Nuh-uh! My friends are talking! What am I supposed to do, leave?!" 

"You have friends?" 

"(Y/n)!" 

"What? I'm just surprised by that." 

"Ugh! You are so annoying!" He shouts and leaves the table.

"You forgot to clean up your plate!" I call back. 

"Be a nice sister and clean it up for me!" 

I shovel the last bite of my omelet. "No! Get vack ere! Kaito!" 

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" 

"Den glean up yer blate!" 

He points to his ears. "Hmm? What's that? I can't understand you!" 

I swallow my mouthful down hard. "That's because you're dumb!" 

He holds his hand up in defense, a sign that he's going to toy with me. "Oh no! I'm so offended!" 

Being the annoying sister I am, I mock his action and mouth his words, exaggerating every single part of his movements. "Fine, then I guess you wouldn't mind if I told Dad that I had to take care of myself because my big brother wouldn't—" 

"Alright, alright! I get it!" He throws his hands in the air and stumbles past me, bumping my shoulder on his way over to the table. I can see the anger written on his face as he stares at my empty plate and contemplates whether or not to do the 'nice' deed for me. With a growl, he reluctantly snatches my plate from the table and storms over to the sink to wash them. 

Triumphantly, I smile, but I don't show that to him. I'm positive he'd kill me if he knew I was thinking I had won this. 

"(Y/n), if you have any homework, I suggest you—"

Knock, knock, knock, the sound echoes, appearing from the front door. 

I raise a brow. "Who would that be...? Kaito, did you bring your friends over today?" 

He peaks out from behind the kitchen wall. "Uh... no. I thought I didn't have friends." 

"Haha, funny," I squeak with a forced smile. 

KNOCK. KNOCK. The call was more aggressive this time, making me flinch. I furrow my brows, not content with the patience of this person. Whoever is behind the door better accept the fact they're gonna get some sass for their impatience. 

With a turn of the lock and a pull of the door, I come face to face with someone I least expected to show up at home. "Wha—?"


	19. XVII

※No Sasuke※

"(Y/n)!" the girl squealed as she pounced onto me, engulfing me in a hug. Her squeeze leaves me breathless. "I'm so glad you're okay!" 

Her embrace also leaves me speechless. 

"I was so worried, you know? When you came home and we found you had passed out!" 

I lightly pat her back, exhaling sounds of a dying goat possessed by a demon. Luckily, that was a good enough sign for her to get off of me. 

"Sorry," Sakura sighs. 

"Ah! Sakura-chaaan... that hurt a lo—Oh, (J/n)-chan!"

Shivers. That nickname comes from one person and one person only.

The hothead appears in the doorway. His hand rests on the side of his head, rubbing it as if in pain. Regardless of only knowing them for a few days, I assume Naruto said something to offend Sakura, thus leading to some sort of injury. 

"Naruto, Sakura?" I question once I've regained my breath. "What are you guys doing here?" 

"We were worried, of course!" Naruto exclaims, taking his turn to engulf me. 

"Worried?" I gasp. 

Sakura pokes me in the arm. "Yes, worried! Did you think we weren't gonna come check on our friend?" 

Naruto leans back, standing next to Sakura as they both smile gingerly at me. All I could do was stare back, my thoughts lingering on the word 'friend'. How that caught me off guard? I may never truly find out. 

My antisocial, introverted side peaked when I started to stutter as a response. "O-oh, y-you guys really didn't have to—I-I mean, you guys could've j-just texted—I mean, I would've seen you guys tomorrow and—" I stop myself from embarrassment. I inhale deeply, even if they noticed how much I was trying to keep under control. With a reassuring smile, I say, "I'm fine." 

"That's great!" Naruto cheers. 

"Eh?" Sakura seems impressed. "Are you sure?" 

I nod. "Of course...?" 

Sakura crosses her arms. "You sound unsure." 

While still keeping the conversation, I invite the two in for a seat in the living room and shut the door quietly. "Uh... I just don't understand why you guys are so worried?" 

Naruto flops onto the couch and moans, obviously finding our cheap furniture comfortable. He relaxes in that position, unlike Sakura who remains standing. "What do you mean by that?" 

My brows knit together, confusion overrunning my system. "Um... I don't know?" 

The pinkette snatches my shoulders and shakes me uncontrollably. "Dude! You could've been raped!" 

"Woah!" I remove her arms and take a stroll to the kitchen, my head a little dizzy. I noticed that Kaito wasn't washing the dishes anymore. He must've gone back to his room for his video games, I guess. "I wasn't gonna get raped." 

"You were molested, though!" 

I throw my hands out to the sides. "No, I wasn't! I'm fine, seriously." 

For once, Sakura keeps her mouth shut. I should be thankful for her sudden conscious act to be silent, but instead, I feel uneasy. After pouring glasses of water for our two guests, I glance at Sakura and notice how intense her stare is. It's enough to make me gulp.

"Maybe whatever the guy did to you must've been nothing compared to you almost getting run over by a car just before." 

"Yeah..." I reply, handing her the glass of water. 

"I KNEW IT!" she exclaims, scaring the living bejesus out of me so much, I spilled water all over the floor, on Sakura, and on myself. 

"Sorry—" I attempt to apologize only for her to interrupt me. 

"You were lying!" the female accuses. 

I raise a brow. "What?" 

"What?" Naruto queries as he pops up from his comfortable position on the couch. "What do you mean, Sakura-chan?" 

"Exactly what I said," she huffs, folding her arms. Her triumphant look crumbles my insides the more and more she stares me down. "You were lying. You almost getting run over by a car happened after the guy molested you!" 

Shit. I blink repeatedly, unsure of what to say. Not only did I not originally know the whole story in the first place, but I clumsily agreed with Sakura. How the hell am I supposed to do this now? 

"What really happened?" 

I have to think up something quick or I'm going to die. Better yet, Sasuke will die. Since I'm a nice person... I guess I'll owe him for saving me that one time. Just use the same basis and... I've got it. 

"Look, getting almost run over by the guy was true. And it happened before we crossed the street. But what happened inside was still true, just tweaked..." 

"I'm listening." 

"You know how I jammed my finger really badly?" 

Sakura's emerald eyes glance up to the ceiling for a split second. "I remember Sasuke mentioning something like that." 

"Yeah, well... I have this really low pain tolerance so..." 

"I'm not getting it." 

I sigh. "After the car incident, I ran into someone and they got mad at me. I don't remember much of what happened, but I clearly remember my finger hurting a lot." 

Her eyebrows twitch. I can tell from her expression that she thinks I'm the most stupid person in the world. I mean, the story is basically the exact same. "... What?" 

"Look, I don't remember everything!" 

"Well, yeah, apparently not." 

Without consciously thinking of this excuse, I blurt out, "Just call Sasuke. He probably wasn't zoned out the whole time." 

Sakura's brows raise. Her actions already tell me she's processing it. "How about we get you guys together, and you both tell me the story." 

I tense, though I don't make it noticeable. Not that telling her the truth is a big deal, but if I know Sasuke well enough, he didn't make that whole ordeal up unless there was a pretty gosh darn good reason. Sure, there was nothing to get him in trouble, but there would've been something to get me in trouble... maybe? I don't know. All I can do in favor of saving me is respecting that he did. I need to consult with him before Sakura busts our asses. 

"Fine. Whatever you do is up to you," I mumble as I grab a rag to clean up the watery mess on the floor and on me, before offering Sakura a dry towel. 

She dabs at her clothing and softly glistening skin. She's one of the popular girls, so she has to uphold certain unspoken rules. Like Ino, they both have to care for their appearance, like their beauty especially. That includes carefully addressing their skin and not doing what I did, which was scrub the will to live out of it. 

"Then tomorrow we can do it." 

"Alright. I'm fine with that." 

Sakura smiles and turns to face the rest of the apartment. "Nice place you've got here," she chimes. 

I decide to say nothing. One of the popular girls finally acknowledging me is one thing, even if it's for a school project, but complementing my abode? That's something I don't know how to react to. 

"It's so small." My heart tightened momentarily. I really should've expected her to say—. "I like it. The small gives it a cozy feeling." 

"R-really?" 

Sakura shrugs. "Yeah. I mean, I live in a big place so I'm used to having so much open space, but it never gave off that comfy feeling." 

"Oh. I see." 

She places a hand on her hip. "So, who works? Mom, dad, or both?" 

"Both," I say, but my mind hesitated. For some reason, I didn't really believe what I said. I wanted to consider everything. My brain began its swirl of thoughts only to be interrupted by Sakura. 

"That's cool. Same place or...?" 

"Haha, uh, no." 

She nods. "Both my parents work for the same company. They weren't big like the Uchiha's or anything, but they're pretty successful." 

Pretty sure she just asked me those questions just so she could tell me that, but I'm not gonna judge. That's cool, that's cool. 

"Hey, the Uzumaki's are big, too!" 

"Shut up, Naruto!" 

"But Sakura—" 

"I said. Zip!" 

I flinch at their five-second conversation. I think it's safe for me to assume these two don't get along well at all. I wonder why. "Why do you guys always fight like this?" 

Sakura sighs through her nose as she shakes her head. "Naruto never stops bugging me. Ever since day one." 

Naruto gapes. "I don't bug you!" 

"Yes, you do!" Sakura crosses her arms and turns to me, who is slowly drinking from the half-empty glass of water. I'm amused. "He's so annoying." 

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto complains while hopping off the couch. "B-but—" 

"No, Naruto!" The angry female pushes past Naruto to explore the house, I assume. She goes into the office first before traveling to other rooms. 

I sweatdrop. These guys... 

Naruto scratches his ear. Though just being completely scolded by the girl, he still smiles, his eyes following her figure until she disappears behind a wall. I didn't even have to ask to understand their situation now. 

Naruto had a crush on Sakura. 

For some reason, I feel a discomfort residing in my chest, threatening to eat me away. I don't know why I have this feeling in the first place. Why does my heartache? Why does my chest pang with this light pain? And why do I feel upset? 

Oh... I see, now. 

I force myself to look away from him, avoiding accidentally seeing his eyes filled with wonder and love for the pink-haired girl, watching how he smiles just by seeing her, and how he never takes his eyes off of her. I thought I was over him. I forced myself to get over him once I found out... I truly thought I succeeded...

So why? 

"Ah, Sakura-chan is always mad at me for some reason, haha," he starts. 

My muscles tense. I only turn to him with a soft smile pecked on my lips. 

He turns to face me, his blue eyes sparkling with optimism which he never lets go of, no matter the situation. He gives me a toothy grin as he confidently places his hands on his hips. Naruto, the blonde-haired dunce that I've had a crush on for three years, from fourth to seventh grade, only having to stop liking Naruto when I found out that my best friend since forever had a major crush on him, too. 

It's been since seventh grade when I stopped liking him. So why do I feel...? 

"Hey, (J/n)? You okay?" he asks. 

I snap out of my thoughts. Quickly, I make up an easy excuse. "Yeah, sorry. I just zoned out." 

"Oh, okay," he simply says while continuing to study all the objects in the room. 

Not enjoying the awkwardness between us at all, I shove all of my nervousness down and find something to ask. "So, how was yesterday?" 

"Hm?" Naruto turns to look at me, his eyes carefully studying mine.

There goes my heart again. Why?! I don't understand! 

"I meant, after Sasuke and I left, what did you guys do?" 

"Oh, haha!" The blonde flashes a cheesy smile. For no reason in particular, he throws his hands to the back of his head, letting his arms rest in the air. "Sakura just chased me for most of the time... But then she had to help with Mikoto-san with something, so I just went to play video games." 

I nod. "Oh, that's cool." 

He chuckles. "Not that cool compared to your adventure!" 

A light warmth creeps in my cheeks at his remark, calling yesterday's terrible excursion an 'adventure'. "Hehe, I would rather play video games than my experience..." 

"I guess you're right..." 

Just like that, we both go silent. 

Well, so much for a conversation, I think to myself.

I rub my arm and look off into the living room at nothing, just blurring the whole image. After several minutes of silence, I finally notice something. I hear faint talking from another room. Yes, my brother always talks to his dorky friends of his, so I'm immune to his small talk. Though, it was another voice that threw me off. 

That could only mean... wait. No, that's basically impossible. My brother... talking to someone in person... not his nonexistent friends or family, but an actual person? And with Sakura nonetheless!

Now, that shocked me. 

"Wait... who's Sakura talking to?" Naruto queries as he turns in the direction of my brother's room. 

"Uh, Kaito," I answer softly as I move past him, heading in the direction of the sound. 

"Who?" 

I leave him at that when I near Kaito's bedroom door. I go to eavesdrop on the conversation, only that wasn't possible for me. The door beside me swings open, revealing a fuming Sakura. 

"Naruto, we're leaving!" she announces, storming past me and heading to the door, grabbing Naruto by his collar. 

"What—" I start to say as I scurry after her to the door. 

"(Y/n), I apologize for this. You are a very nice person and I hope your brother doesn't get between our developing relationship. I'm sorry for this, but I'll see you tomorrow," she spurs before spinning and zooming out of the door with her hand clasped around Naruto's arm as he wails, slamming it shut behind her. 

I gape at the closed door, my brain utterly blank. Nothing seems to cross my mind once during my emotional process. "Huh..." 

Footsteps echo behind me. Kaito scratches the back of his head with an annoyed look plastered to his face. He stops by the couch, also facing the door. Calmly, he starts, "Man, that girl is a pain—" 

His sister, on the other hand, was beyond calm as she whipped to face her idiotic brother. At the top of her lungs, she shouts, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY TO HER, YOU JACKA—"


	20. XVIII

※Sasuke POV※ 

(L/n) (G/n) didn't concern me until Saturday's events. Besides earlier in the day when she wouldn't stop pissing me off, I grew very curious about the girl. Ever since she decided to take a pill, she began acting strangely. At first, I thought she was trying to mess with me, seeing that's something she's constantly doing. Only when she blacked out right after she exited the vehicle did I realize she wasn't making one of her jokes. 

Though, her passing out wasn't what really brought her to my attention, no. She was very overdramatic with her 'jammed finger', her completely wiping out still surprised me. To be honest, I was annoyed at first. That is until the concerning part of the story happened. 

I remember it vividly. Her expression was filled with pain. That's when I truly believed her finger was hurting, regardless of her being dramatic or not. Her breathing was uneven and choppy, too, which gave me a reason to think she was going to have some sort of attack. Only when I lifted her head did something very weird occur.

As soon as I lifted her head to make sure she hadn't damaged it more than it already was, her breathing changed. That was the first thing I noticed. Suddenly, it sounded like a normal person's breathing rate when they're asleep. It wasn't as loud, and her intakes weren't as short and aggressive. She sounded... peaceful. 

The next thing I caught was her temperature, which caused me to look up to her head so I could check how warm she was. That's when I noticed her expression suddenly... looked calm. Her eyes were tightly shut as they were before, but her forehead wasn't creased, and whatever tension that was trapped in her muscles had magically disappeared. Her forehead was still hot, though. 

My first thought was, does she have a fever? I quickly dismissed that when I rethought how all the symptoms for a fever ended in a snap. I spent a good minute reflecting and analyzing everything, trying to draw some sort of scientific conclusion that could explain all of this. Nothing did. 

I decided to ponder about the event later. I had to get this disaster into the house and somehow contact one of her family members to come and pick her up. Reluctantly, I lift her up (yes, bridal style for those of you who were wondering). Upon carrying her, she dropped her little kit causing all of her items to spill out. 

Great, another thing I have to get, I sighed to myself after bringing her inside the house. My mother walked in to greet me and immediately noticed the girl knocked out. Since she had a normal state, nothing raised any red flags. I set her on the couch while my mother went to treat her to the best of her ability. As Naruto and Sakura were freaking out (Naruto coming up with very strange accusations), I went back out into the garage to clean up her stuff.

She had money, keys, earbuds, a phone, and other items girls consider 'necessities' lying around on the cold floor (some are real necessities, some were clearly not). I came across a medicine bottle. This must be her Advil or Ibuprofen she used to ease her 'extreme' finger pain. 

Well, I thought it was a common painkiller. I rotate the capsule, curious to see which pain reliever it was. It was neither. I don't remember everything I caught, but two things that remained in my mind were 'Emergency' and 'CPS'.

What do those mean? 

I didn't pay attention to those words when walking back to the couch. I place her items on the table next to her. Unsure of what to do, knowing I'd get scolded by my mother for leaving and going to do my own things, I sit in the chair next to the girl and spare a look. My brows furrow at her sight. 

Did she have a fever again? 

Her face was contorted, evidently showing she was in pain. Her breathing was once again staggered and hitched now and then. Her skin was starting to glisten, meaning she was getting warm. I checked her temperature and since the last time, it was warmer. 

What the hell is with this girl? 

"Hey, Sasuke, see if you can find a way to contact her parents, unless you know what her address is," my mother recommended, coming back into the living room with a wet rag folded. She placed it on the girl's forehead. 

Sighing, I pick up (L/n)'s phone. It's locked, no surprised. I swipe to the left to see if she had contact information scattered amongst her other notifications. I found nothing. Just as I was about to set her phone down, there was an aggressive vibration that repeated. It didn't take me too long to realize it was a call. 

I read the Caller ID: Pops. I raise a brow, not sure who the hell 'Pops' is. It was too late to answer as the final vibration dispersed. It probably wasn't anybody important, although I feel bad for whoever's named Pops. I can only imagine the trauma they experienced as—

The phone shook in my hand again. I peer down at it again. "Pops." What the hell does this guy want? 

Reluctantly, I answer the phone to this persistent fellow. "Hello?" 

"Hello—uh, who is this?" It was a deeper male voice on the other end. 

"This is Uchiha Sasuke. Who are you?" I demanded. 

"This is (L/n) (Father/n)." 

(L/n)? I thought. My head turns to the girl on the couch and it finally hit. How dumb am I not to connect the dots? Pops is such a common name for father... You're kidding. 

"This is (G/n)'s father. May I ask what you're doing answering my daughter's phone?" 

"Miss (L/n) passed out and we would like for you to come and pick her up." 

"She passed out?!" he outraged, more in shock than in anger. "Oh—I'm sorry. Of course, I'll come right away. What's your address?" 

He and I exchanged information in case he needed further updates on her state and the story that lead up to this. I made something up because I was confused about the girl's whole state. I needed to make something easily believable while sparing her father from thinking his daughter was insane. He believed it, but I had to pull some strings. (She'll owe me later for this.)

It piqued my curiosity. (L/n)'s father was sounding very worried. Before he hung up the phone, I could easily pick up how much of a rush he was in. Why was he so distressed? 

It didn't take long for him to arrive. By this time, (G/n)'s state had seemed to dum down, though she still looked far away from peaceful. I met the man at the door. His face was sweaty and panic was apparent in his eyes. After bringing him in, Mikoto told Naruto, Sakura, and I to go upstairs and let the parents deal with this. I didn't understand what the big deal was. All she did was pass out, but after overhearing bits of their conversation, I began to suspect. 

"I'm sorry you had to deal with this. Her condition is very serious and we're dealing with it the best we can," was the only phrase that continued to ring in my mind. I could only ask myself one question through my mixed thoughts. 

What condition? 

💮 💮 💮

It's now Monday morning. Currently, Naruto is bugging me about some homework assignments he didn't do over the weekend that is due the fourth period. No surprise. It's not new talking to this loudmouth, and doing it daily, you learn how to ignore the blonde's constant complaints. 

Being the start of the school week, everyone's moods were tipsy. Besides the 'fangirls' that whisper about me or pass me with their cheesy smiles, people appeared exhausted and frustrated. It wasn't unusual. It is Monday after all. 

"... yo, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto shouts. I finally notice the hand he was waving in front of my face. Looks like I can't fool him for too long, no matter how much of an idiot he is. 

"What is it," I bite, rolling my eyes to the hothead. 

Naruto sits across from me, sitting backward in the desk. "Have you seen Sakura-chan today?" 

"No." 

"Oh..." he sighs, resting his head on the table and looking over in the direction of the windows. We sat in the center of the classroom, so he didn't get the best view. 

I shake my head. Naruto's obsession with Sakura is almost as annoying as Sakura's obsession with me. I remember when that girl had a major crush on me in middle school. After high school, it seemed her feeling dissipated. In all honesty, I'm glad she gave up on me. 

"Pfft, hahaha!" a female voice echoes from the halls. "He really did that?" 

A smaller voice replies too quiet for me to understand her response. Whatever she said, the first girl erupted into fits of laughter as they both entered the classroom. I look up to see who would be causing such a disturbance this morning, and other classmates did, too. 

The girl who must've said something funny was Hinata. Her dark her flowing behind her as she looked upon her friend with a small smile. 

Her friend, on the other hand, did not walk in gracefully. She gripped her stomach as she howled in euphoria. The girl was laughing so hard, she stumbled several times as she walked over to her seat. After everybody recognized it was (L/n) who was disrupting our stubborn moods, they all returned to whatever they were doing before she waltzed in. 

With a loud sigh, she drops her bag by her desk and plops down in her seat, Hinata taking her spot next to her. Since she had finished laughing, she was able to continue the conversation. 

"Oh, it's (J/n)-chan!" Naruto smiled once seeing her. His moody state vanished after he laid eyes on the girl. "I'll be right back, Sasuke. I'm gonna talk to her." 

I don't really care what he does, yet he informs me about everything he'll do. What's the dobe gonna do, hurt my feelings? He does realize he can do whatever he wants without having to tell me, right? 

The blonde jumps out of his seat and hops over desks like a gazelle on his way to the females. "(J/n)-chan!" he greets before seating himself. 

(Y/n) shudders at the call before grinning at the boy. Her eyes studied him for a second before her one hand started to fidget. She held a good conversation with the boy before her entire face fell into an annoyed expression. Naruto shook his hands, probably trying to apologize. (Y/n), being the brat she is, says some sort of remark that shut Naruto up. 

Wait. Did she shut Naruto up? Is that even possible? 

Naruto scratches the back of his neck as he looks out the window. He says something that brings a smirk to (Y/n) lips. When she replies, Naruto sinks into the seat with a fake cry. (Y/n) laughs at his reaction, but continues to act stubborn by crossing her arms, leaning back in her chair, and looking out the window. 

The defeated boy sighs and looks up to Hinata who's as red as a tomato. She stutters several times, I can tell. Naruto just laughs and tries to keep a normal conversation going, but he had to try really hard. 

The (h/c)-colored girl turns her head to Hinata. In that small moment of transition, I recognized the same face from Saturday—full of pain. It's quickly lost once she forces a smile and says something to Hinata who only grows redder by the second. 

For a split second, her eyes leave Hinata's and glance over to mine. Her smile falls when she catches me staring at the three. I didn't notice that I was even staring at them, to begin with, until she looked at me and rose a brow. Playing it off, I glare back at her and look forward to the front of the class. 

My eyes didn't stay at the front for long. I feel something on the back of my neck that caused me to look back. (Y/n) balls up another piece of paper to throw before she realizes she hit me the first time. She sure knows how to piss me off, especially on a Monday morning. 

Her eyes dart from the right to the left and back to mine. She mouths the words 'we have to talk'. 

My brows knit together, unsure of what she means by that. 'What?' I mouth back. 

She sighs and gives me a 'really' look. 'We have to talk,' she repeats. 

What does she want to talk about? Knowing her, she'll start another pointless argument and accuse me of having opinions. I roll my eyes, hoping to end the conversation, but my body decided to act against me. I take note of the time and turn back to her to ask her when. 

She grits her teeth with an unsure look to her eyes. (Y/n) glances at the time briefly. They then shift to every inch around the room, widening once they finish their scan. 'Now?' 

Did she not see the time? Announcements and duties will start any minute now. I shake my head. 

Her fingers fidget, her leg bouncing too. Is she growing anxious? What for? 'Where's Sakura?' 

Sakura? She's the second person to ask me where that girl is. What's so important about knowing her whereabouts? Can you not deal without the pinkette for even a day? Reluctantly, I answer by shaking my head. 

She messes with her fingers a few times before removing a strand of hair from her face. After peaking at the clock again, she asks, 'After cleaning?' 

What's with her and getting this conversation done now? Someone has zero patience. Aversively, I agree. Although I turn my head to the front, I keep my eyes on her. This better be good. 

Iruka-sensei walks into class as the signature bell rings. "Good morning class." 

"Morning, Iruka-sensei!" the knucklehead shouts back with an overexaggerated wave. 

"Morning, Naruto. Everybody, please take your seats!" 

Doing as they're told, Iruka-sensei grabs his clipboard and flips through two pages before facing the class again, where the students are in their rightful places. Naruto flashes me a smile before facing the front, finally sitting in the desk the correct way for the first time this morning. 

"Welcome back," he starts, receiving a series of groans from the whole class. "After school clubs resume back to normal this week. If you are not in a club, I suggest you join one before the trimester ends. Colleges will be looking to see what you join. Prepare yourselves wisely." 

Naruto turns back and nudges me. "You going to practice tonight?" 

I glare. That's my normal go-to whenever I'm talking to this idiot. "Yes," is all I say, hoping to end it at that. 

Iruka-sensei clears his throat. "I have Friday's graded assignments that I will pass around at the end of this term. Please, look over them. You might or might not have pop quizzes in some of your classes." The teacher flips the page, his eyes quickly scanning the notes before flashing back up to us. "It appears we will be having a foreign exchange student joining our class next." 

Gasps erupt from around the class. Many people, girls and boys alike, turn to their first to whisper about this foreign exchange student. Naruto whips around. I can already read his plan through those eyes already. "I wonder what they're like! Wait..." He spins back to Iruka-sensei, throwing his hand in the air to be called on, only he doesn't wait long enough for that. "Iruka-sensei! When is he or she coming?!" 

"He will be joining us sometime next week." 

The gender-reveal sent the females in the room ablaze. Finally, someone other than me for them to talk about. 

"Because he will be joining us so soon, from the time he gets here to the end of the trimester will just be for him to get to know the place better. So it is your job to make him feel welcome, inform him of clubs, classes, and other curricular activities he may like to take, and help him. He officially starts all of his classes next trimester, so please use these few weeks to befriend him until then." 

"Where is he from?" Ino asks. 

"How about when he comes, you ask him yourself as a way to get to know him better personally." 

The class sighs but agrees. Their curiosity will have to grow as time goes on, but we'll see how long their patience lasts. 

"Now, for cleaning duties. Hinata and Choji, clean the desks. Naruto and Ino, work on the bookshelf, Sai and Kiba, the boards, Shino and Shikamaru, the floors, and (Y/n) and Sasuke, clean the hallway."

How the odds managed to put us into the same cleaning pairs and in a secluded area, perfect for (Y/n) to spill her secrets. Along with the rest of the class, we get up and head to our designated areas. The anxious girl grabs needed cleaning supplies and heads out into the hall with me.

Before we could even begin to assign ourselves what part of the hall we would do, she drops the supplies and crosses her arms, sternly glaring at me. "We need to talk."


	21. XIX

※(Y/n)'s POV※

"We need to talk." 

"Oh, really. Didn't know that." 

I scoff and whip my head to the side. Already throwing sass, I see. "I'm serious." 

"I am, too," he replies, picking up a damp rag and heading over to the windows. 

"Fine, whatever, you can joke. I don't care," I say with widened eyes and pick up the mop I previously dropped. 

He side-eyes me. "Apparently, you do." 

A silent growl rumbles in my throat, only loud enough for me to hear. "I wanted to ask why you made up that story." 

"What story?" 

You're kidding. Playing dumb? Is he serious? "From Saturday?" 

He pauses mid-cycle on the window and turns to me. "That's because I wanted to ask you something." 

I prop myself up, now intrigued. The Uchiha Sasuke has something to ask me? Well, isn't this a surprise? "You do?"

Instead of staying at the window and respecting my space, he walks over and folds his arms. I may not be that much shorter than him, but I still have to look up just to meet his eyes. "What's wrong with you?" 

Well, now I see. Why did I even set my expectations high for him? I expected a serious question that wouldn't make him seem so much like an ass!

"Excuse me?" I stammer, my grip tightening on the mop. "You wanna say that again, asshole?!" 

He closes his eyes and shakes his head. "That's not what I meant." 

"Oh, then what did you mean?!" 

"What I mean is... what was up with you on Saturday?" 

I scowl. "There were a lot of things up that Saturday. And today might have the same things, like my fist up your goddamn ass!" 

He narrows his eyes at me, clearly not favoring my remark. "You know what, never mind. Can't get anything past a stubborn bitch like you." 

I roll up my button-up shirt. During summer, we don't wear our school jackets, but if I was, I'd be rolling that up, too. "What did you call me?" 

"Oh, so it's okay for you to get mad at me when I call you something, but not the other way around? Fucking hypocrite." He shakes his head and walks over back to the windows to resume cleaning. 

My mouth opens to snap back, but I realize he was right. I can be such a huge hypocrite sometimes, can I? Whatever. Still doesn't make it acceptable to tell me he has something to ask me, and then doesn't ask! I stomp over to him and grab him by his loose tie, yanking him down to my level. "Fine, I'm a hypocritical bitch! But I have the right to know what you were gonna ask me, so spit it out!" 

"Alright. Explain what happened Saturday after you took your pill. Explain why you passed out. Explain what the hell kind of fever you got that day. Explain what it has to do with that jammed finger of yours." 

I feel my grip loosen on his tie. My body shivers under the fact that he's trying to figure me out. 

"And explain that pill you took. It wasn't Advil. Ibuprofen, Tylenol, or any of that. It said 'Emergency' and 'CPS'. What do they mean?" 

My whole body runs cold, strands of electricity attack my spine. I feel myself freeze under his intense glare, seeing his eyes as he's putting the puzzle pieces together. I wanted to answer, but my mouth was dry and my throat tightened. I felt cornered, helpless, and most of all...

Scared. 

I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling this way. Am I scared because one person will find out? Or because I'm easy to figure out after one day of hanging out with me? Or that he might spread my secret? That I might be made fun of? That people would treat me differently? They wouldn't like me because I didn't tell them about it sooner? Or because my dad would be furious about me not being careful? Would he ever let me out of the house again? Would I switch schools or would I stay? What would happen to me? What would happen to me? 

What would happen to me? 

My hand falters on keeping a tight grip, allowing for Sasuke to stand up and slip his hands into his pockets, waiting expectantly for a reasonable answer. 

I had none. I had no excuse. 

For the first time against the Uchiha, I look away from his threatening gaze and keep my head low. I could feel my hands shake and fidget, so I try to put them behind my back... but my body won't obey. 

I gulp, loud enough to fill the hallways and the empty rooms. I'm sure he heard me. I'm sure I'll be tortured now. 

"Again, being the hypocrite. 'I have the right to know what you asked, so spit it out'... isn't that what you said?" 

Please, shut up...

"How long are you going to hold up this act of yours? Do you think it's unfair for you?" 

Shut up, shut up, shut up...! 

"Had I known you wouldn't have answered, I wouldn't have asked at all. Yet you so desperately demanded only to leave me in the same position as you. Isn't that—" 

"Shut up. Just... shut up!" I shout, my fists balling until my knuckles blanched. "Please..." 

I didn't know what to expect for his response, but what he said next wasn't exactly what I had in mind. 

He bends down near my face, making me look up into those cocky eyes of his. "Look at who's demanding yet again. All you do is whine to get your way. It doesn't matter if the other person gets treated a certain way, as long as you get treated the way you want—" 

Before he even finishes what he's about to say, I had already grabbed the bucket of soapy water and poured it all over him until every last drop made a mark on him. My blood was boiling at this point and it wouldn't cool down, no matter how cold the droplets of water rolled under my arm. I was furious beyond compare, and it was impossible not to tell. 

"You fucking asshole!" I rage, placing the bucket upside down on his head, temporarily blinding him so he didn't have to see how weak I was as I bolted to the bathroom to calm down. My entire body shook from anger and from what I just did. Tears threatened to spill from the cages that locked them in my eyes, my strength weakening by the second as I look up, forcing them from not falling out. 

I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry! 

Voices whispered from outside in the hall, some were small cries asking Sasuke if he was alright, what had happened, and offering to help clean him up or take him to the nurse's office (he wasn't even hurt!). Some of the guys whispered stuff, too, and I could hear them from the classroom. They didn't want to walk outside and be caught up in whatever commotion, I know that for sure. Hinata is probably one of them. 

I can hear Iruka-sensei demanding that all his students go back into the classroom at once and get back to their duties. They hesitantly obeyed, but eventually, everything went silent and it was just those two. I waited for something to happen. Nothing did. 

"(Y/n)." 

I flinch. I easily recognize that it was Iruka-sensei who was calling me. I bite my lip in preparation for what's to come. I take one step out of the bathroom and look at Iruka-sensei who had a very stern look on his face. Next to him, Sasuke stood there with a hand still in his pocket while the other held the bucket tightly. Had he not been dripping wet, I would've caved under his intense glower. He was more than apoplectic. 

My insides twisted. I'm in deep trouble. 

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," I breathe. My hand stays on the corner that leads into the bathroom. 

"Please, come over here." 

I'm quiet and tentative at first, but after a deep inhale and small words of self-encouragement, I head over to the two. 

"Will one of you care to explain what happened here?" 

My head is aimed at the ground, my body frigid. Neither of us decided to answer; neither one of us know where to start or how to explain. 

Silence just seemed to fill our ears. 

Sasuke clears his throat. "We were jus—" 

"He was just cleaning and I wanted to play around. He asked me to stop but it got out of control and I ended up spilling the bucket of water on him." 

"And you ran away because?" 

"I... got scared." 

"(Y/n), I'm very disappointed in you." 

I just stay silent. 

Iruka-sensei sighs as he shakes his head. "(Y/n), you will clean this mess up." 

"Yes, sir," I hush, my head bowing lower with my hair slightly covering my face. 

"Sasuke, you may go clean yourself up. After that, you may come back to class to work on whatever assignments. Miss (Y/n) will do your chores for you as punishment for her mistake. Is that understood?" 

"N—"

"Yes," I utter, interrupting the Uchiha once again. 

"Good. I'll see you guys before the term ends." Iruka-sensei stands there for just a few seconds longer before heading back into the classroom to keep eye on the other students in case they decided to make a ruckus, too. The door rolls closed, blocking out all of the conversations, stares, and other doings that would itch my skin. 

My feet stick to the floor. I'm not entirely sure why. My emotions mix of fear, regret, anger, and disappointment. Worry is mixed in there, but that wasn't any news to you. What was news to me was... why the hell I made up that sort of excuse. Sasuke seemed to have the same question in mind. 

"Why did y—" 

"Don't ask," I hiss. "You made up a story for me, I made one up for you. We're even now. I don't owe you anything." I straighten myself up and look him dead in the eyes, my eyes not reading anger, confusion, sass... They're just emotionless, the opposite of everything swirling inside me. It reminds me of reverse psychology. "I suggest you get out of my way so I can clean up this mess, and you clean up yours." And with that, I spin on my heel, making the loudest squeaking sound ever heard in Japan, and grab the mop I can use to soak up the water. 

I didn't see him, but I heard him walk away, dragging mounts of water with him, creating a neverending stream I'll have to follow up later. 

Lucky for me, not a whole bunch of water puddles the floor. If anything, I can use it to clean the halls and clean up whatever's left. Finding that idea to be clever, I dab the mop in the water and walk over to where our divided section would start and I thoroughly clean the polished tiles. The morning sun gleams through the windows, giving a nice warmth into the air-conditioned building. It relaxes me just enough to rethink my actions clearly and organize all of my hormone overflow of emotions. 

I must've been pretty pissed if I ended up doing this. I'm a good kid, my parents raised me like this. My teachers, friends, and anyone who knows me just even the tiniest bit would not believe what I just did. Sure, Naruto and Kiba's accident the other day made sense since all they did was laugh at me. Payback, revenge, whatever you want to call it, seems reasonable for me. As a reaction to some erotic words from a guy I could care less about...! That's simply below me. 

I got so mad all because he was saying insults... that are true. I am a hypocrite, aren't I? Does everybody think that, or just him? I never really noticed myself acting like this before... demanding I get my way when I do nothing in my power to help other people get theirs? 

Oh, so it's okay for you to get mad at me when I call you something, but not the other way around? Fucking hypocrite.

Why did I even react to him calling me a bitch when I constantly call him an asshole? Why...

How long are you going to hold up this act of yours? Do you think it's unfair for you?

This act is the only thing that keeps me going. Letting it go would make me the person I fear the most. Weak. 

Look at who's demanding yet again. All you do is whine to get your way. It doesn't matter if the other person gets treated a certain way, as long as you get treated the way you want—

I throw the mop over to the side before grabbing my head, forcing these thoughts to just escape... but they wouldn't leave, they wouldn't just leave. They trapped themselves in my head and echoed every phrase, taunting me, torturing me, burdening me until the atomic chain reaction becomes too much and I explode. 

Why... Why am I like this? 

By the time I realize that the stress is getting to me, it's too late. There's a small sting forming on my arm. It's not much, but it will grow. My fingers graze over the spot to ease its pain. After turning my arm to examine it, the moment I saw it, I got flashbacks. 

"Naruto, just leave her be," Kiba attempts to convince, a hand on his shoulder. 

"No, I'm going to apologize." 

"Dude, you take one more step toward her—" 

"I said I'm going to apologize. Now, let go—" Naruto yanks his shoulder away from Kiba. 

He's so ever-persistent, though. Kiba continues with the physical ways to keep Naruto at bay, but nothing works. It only gets worse. 

Kiba gets launched forward as Naruto tries an aggressive shrug off once again, and all hell breaks loose.

The next thing you know, I endured three things, all of them unpleasant. One, bodies. I felt an elbow to the stomach, a sudden jolt as the side of Naruto clashed with mine. Two, my arm slamming into the bookshelf, a result of trying to turn away. A sharp pain in my forearm surfaces. Three, the floor as it made its way up to me, my head flying back from the pull of gravity that still had its effect. Overall, pain. Pain filled my entire body.

Oh... This happened last Thursday. That's why my arm hurts. CPS acting up again with another one of its delays. 

Shrugging it off, I tell myself I'll get my medicine once I finish my job which is now to clean up the water and squeeze it into the bucket. I let out a small whimper, cursing at myself for being so dumb, and squat down. I'm not sitting on the wet floor, oh, there's no way. I prop myself on my toes and do my best to keep my balance. 

Turns out, I spend more time doing that than actually picking up the water. 

I plop the mop into the pool of water, wait for it to soak up the loud juices, and carefully carry it over to the bucket. As a face of disgust twisted, I use one hand to ring the flaps of cloth without an ounce of my mind wondering where they have been. 

I redo this process over, and over, and over, and over... and over... and over... until I can barely feel my triceps from moving my arms left to right to left to right and over and over again... Even my wrists ache from twist multiple times. If I stress them too much, I sure as hell know it's gonna come back to bite me sometime this afternoon.

It's what I deserve for being such a bitch, and I don't even know how to fix that.


	22. XX

After what felt like an eternity, I finish my second cleaning duty. Now I just have to get paper towels to dry up the water the drenched mop can't absorb. I leave the bucket by the wall, the mop inside of it so it doesn't soil the ground any more than it already has. Then I'll have to make multiple trips just to throw all the paper towels away, I mean, Jashin, why does fate have to make all the work I do be tedious! 

Sighing, I turn on my heel and go to walk to the bathrooms only to bump into someone. I stumble backward, surprised. 

"Sorry, I just—" 

The guy I bumped into sends a chilling glare which I'm tough enough to now hold without cowering. At this point, I could roll my eyes at him had I not been so frustrated. 

"Oh, it's you." 

I can already hear his remark. He held back, but I knew he was thinking 'Don't sound too enthusiastic' or some stupid shit like that. I don't understand why he didn't say any sort of smart comment, and that's what temporarily erased my anger and replaced it with confusion. 

Instead, he makes a humming sound before looking down and moving his leg. 

My eyes almost pop out of my head as I got super scared with what the hell he was doing with his leg, but I see paper towels on the floor that he was moving around, and my stopped heart begins to beat again. I have no idea what my brain was thinking during then but thank god it wasn't what I had in mind. 

I clear my throat, still somewhat shocked. "What are you doing?" 

"Wiping this up. What does it look like I'm doing?" 

I roll my eyes. There's the snarky remark. "I meant... why?" 

As if timed perfectly, he stops wiping the floor and picks up the paper towel. Then, not to be dramatic or anything, he just stares me down for an awkward twenty seconds before saying, "None of your business."

My brows knit together. "If you're just doing this for me—" 

"Who said I was doing this for you?" 

I clench my teeth. "I'm trying to say that I'm not gonna owe you for doing this." 

"Again, who said I was doing this so you owed me later?" 

"Because that's just who you are." 

"There's the bitch again." 

"I've still got water left over if you're ready for round two." 

"I'm not sure Iruka-sensei would like that very much." 

My lips shut. Yep, he got me there. After looking away, I speak. "You can go to the classroom now. I'm gonna have to clean all of this up so... you'd only get in my way." 

"I could." 

I squint when I side-eye him. "And? You're not." 

He folds his arms. "If I go in there not doing anything, those girls will be all over me including Naruto and all of his—" 

Dismissing him, I wave my hand. I wasn't really in the mood to listen to him rant right now. "Yeah, yeah. I get it." 

However, being the Uchiha he is, reads me, and says something that catches me off guard. "Do you, though?" 

Not wanting to answer, I keep my lips sealed as I grab the damp rag and begin wiping the windows frantically. I keep scrubbing and scrubbing until the light the sun gives off is blinding. 

That is until a hand grips my wrist. 

"Watch your paws, assho—" I snap.

"Woah, just calm down for once." 

I point to his hand on my wrist and raise an aggressive eyebrow. 

He reluctantly lets go of me, still with a vexed expression. After looking away from me, he takes the washcloth from my hand and begins wiping the window. 

"What are you doing?" I squeak. 

"Doing your job the right way." 

"The right way? Are you kidding me?" I stammer. 

He does a final swipe and turns on his head to me. For the five-second stare, it's enough to shut me up until he moves onto the next window. 

"Iruka-sensei said I was supposed to—" 

"Yeah, well he meant that you do them right." 

"How do you wash a window wrong?" I complain. 

"The way you were doing it." 

A forced cough is my only response. Instead of dragging out what I can sense is going to be a heated argument, I shake my head and clean the other spots in the halls. I stand for a second and stare at the wall, unsure of what to do. I should've had my mind on cleaning this and getting it done... but a thought never left my head the whole time... 

"Okay, but... how was I cleaning a window wrong?" 

"Would you like to see how?" he asks, stretching the rap. 

"Yes, I would."

He takes my request as a challenge. Moving onto the next window, he does the most unremarkable thing. The worst impression he could do of me in my entire life. 

"Hey! I don't wash windows like that!" I accuse and storm up to him. 

"Are you sure?" he demands more than asking. 

"Gimme that," I snarl and rip the rag out of his grip. "I know how to wash a goddamn window." 

"Oh, do you now? Because from what I saw—" 

"Shut it, rich kid! I'm sure you probably have tons of maids doing the cleaning for you. You're just not used to cheap labor, I guess." 

"Maids? You think we don't clean the house ourselves?" 

"You're rich enough, I'm sure you wouldn't waste your precious time cleaning anything, especially when you never grew up knowing how." 

"For your information, we don't have maids. So, yes, we do clean the house ourselves." 

"Oh, wow! I'm suddenly convinced!" 

"Oh, because you guys would know how to clean any better?" he rasps, getting in the way of the window. "I bet you've never seen a maid in your life as I have." 

My hand grips the cloth firmly, controlling my stress as I begin to feel the burning building in my arm. "So? It's not like I need them anyway!" 

"You don't need them? Or you just don't have a choice?" 

"Look, not everyone can make as much money as you, alright?!" I argue. "Not everyone can be as perfect as you! Not everyone is blessed with a perfect life, having good looks so you don't have to worry about people judging you for your appearance, having friends you can trust, no matter how much they annoy you, but you know they'll always be there for you, and having tons money so you can get anything you want and not have to worry about medical needs like monthly trips to the hospital because you just had to get an illness that never gives you a break! Putting my family pretty close to broke and struggling to make money every day!" 

It doesn't take me too long to realize what I just said. Again, for the second time in twenty minutes, I had already gotten into another argument with Sasuke, and I ended up confessing something again, something I desperately wanted to keep a secret just slips out. Not only am I furious with this boy, but I'm completely outraged with myself for getting to this point. 

And all we did was argue about cleaning a window... 

I don't wait for him to reply. Instead, I just harshly whisper, "Leave. Leave right now." 

"Really? You're going to go all off and make me the one that has to—" 

"Can you please just fuck off already!" I croak. My emotions on the brink of being out of control again. I fight so hard just to keep my tears unseeable, but if I don't get out of here soon, he'll see how weak I truly am. 

"What the hell is your problem?" he demands. "All I do is try to help—" 

"Go away before I do something I'll regret again!" I shout, my fists clenching until my knuckles lost their color. "Please!" 

"This is exactly why I shouldn't have even tried," he rasps, showing his hands into his pockets while giving me a deathly scowl. "No matter what I say, you find some way to get pissed about it and then blame me for it. Don't scream all your problems at me, they're not my fault. Grow the hell up, (L/n), before someone puts you in your place." And with that, those final words that begin to eat away at my insides, he walks away and out of my sight as he enters the classroom. 

And for the past couple of arguments we've had, I've always been the one to walk away because I couldn't handle what he was saying. My emotions are spinning out of control, the fear, the anger, the disappointment, the guilt, all spilling over the tub. For the first time, he's the one that can't handle me, my logic, my hypocritical comebacks, my want of having it my way.

And now I'm the one watching him leave.


	23. XXI

※No Sasuke※

5 minutes. I stood there for 5 minutes not doing anything. 

Then another 10. Another whole 10 minutes I spent lousily cleaning, thought-less, emotionless, lifeless. Maybe I wasn't entirely thoughtless... maybe I was the complete opposite. Maybe my brain was overflowing with scenarios, questions, declarations, and they canceled each other out. Or, maybe, it just condensed into a small marble of speculation, too small for me to read through and contemplate about it. 

As soon as I finished the last wipe on the window, but my body goes lifeless. My arm loses its strength and drops to my side and my knees buckle before unlocking and pulling my body to the ground. My head fills with bricks and tips forward, hitting the wall. I'd mind the pain, but regret was all I could feel right now. 

I didn't really know what to feel, actually. Am I supposed to feel guilty that I had the audacity to say those things to him and react horribly when he did the same to me? Am I supposed to regret letting my emotions take over because of some guy... because... 

When a slight sting from my arm zaps me, I snap out of my thoughts. What the hell am I even doing? Thinking about my mistakes will solve nothing. 

The bell rings, signifying we have 5 minutes before our next term period starts. Obviously not excited from the previous events and that it's Monday morning, I groggily get up from my sitting position and tidy up the cleaning supplies. The hallway doesn't look any different, mostly because the school is always constantly clean from our daily morning and afternoon cleanup sessions. It's tedious, but it does make one feel refreshed. 

Maybe I've told you this before, but I'm not the extroverted friend of the school. I'm an introvert (or ambivert), and I tend to stay around Hinata, my one true best friend since forever. I would go out and make more friends, but I'm terrified and would get sick to the stomach if I tried to do that. Sure, I can hold conversations well, that doesn't mean I'm skilled in that field. I can't handle social pressure, whether it's from one person or everyone. It makes me feel out of place and nervous to the point my hands shake and this uncomfortable feeling in my chest becomes the only thing I feel. I get scared, anxious about the mistakes I'll make in front of them. I'm frightened, to say the least. 

Which is why when I walked into the classroom with my handful of cleaning stuff and noticed everyone's eyes staring me down, I almost had a breakdown then and there. Turning my back to the classroom while forcing my emotions to chill for a bit, I open the cabinet where the cleaning supplies lived. 

Well, if only it was that simple. 

My hands shake the entire time as I reach for the handle. My breath even rattles, too, no matter how I try to calm myself. Once I reach the handle, the cool metal sent chills through my arm. I turn it just enough to open it up. 

Sometimes I wonder why it's so hard for me to do the tiniest tasks under small pressure. So what if I make a mistake? Everyone will judge you until the day you die. It's one mistake, it's not like it's the end of the world. It might be the end of the world for you. 

Shut up. I will not. 

I place the items in their rightful places, close the cabinet door slow enough that it doesn't make a loud creaking sound as I close it. The class will be starting soon, so I take my seat. 

Hinata taps my shoulder. "You okay?" she whispers. 

I nod. There's no need to tell her the events that happened out in the hall. If she suspects, then she'll push the subject until I spill the beans, but I don't need her worrying about her two classmates always getting into pointless fights. Especially when I'm her best friend, and the guy I'm arguing with is best friends with her crush. I cannot even begin to imagine the stress she'd pile up inside her until things got resolved. That's just the way she is... 

I smile to myself at the thought of her being like that. 

Hinata raises a brow in confusion, probably wondering where my delayed smile came from. 

I shake my head, mouthing the words 'Don't mind' and turn to face the front of the class and engage myself in whatever subject is being taught, but the whole time, only one thing seemed to stick in my head. 

Hinata really is someone I can count on. 

💮 💮 💮

Lunch was upon, and Holy Jashin have I been waiting for this since breakfast! The morning periods were draining. Today's classes were English, Algebra, Biology, and Literature, though the last class wasn't that bad. Kakashi-sensei teaches it, so we were 'working on our project' before the finals. It doesn't mean the class went by fast, however. 

Hinata was asked to leave during Literature and hasn't returned. I forget where she went or for how long, but it was making me anxious. As introverted as I am, I hate being alone in public, you know what I mean? Like, if I'm sitting by myself, I don't like it. I need someone I know next to me to communicate with, to make me look less lonely. 

What am I gonna do? Start sitting next to random people and talking? Oh hell naw! Ain't no way. 

So, I stay close to the window I sit next to. I glance down at the courtyard and see familiar and unfamiliar faces dotting the area. Some are running through the summer wind, laughing as they play with their friends. Their smiles stretch from ear to ear, playfully shoving each other around, one accidentally falling awkwardly into a pile of bushes, thus leading them to explode in euphoria. Other students sit and eat their lunch quietly, still giggling amongst themselves. 

It must be nice having to do that without worry. 

Yeah, yeah, my CPS isn't that bad that the heat would vibe check me, but the possibility is always there. It's happened to me before, it can happen to me again. Not that it will, I just... man, this is just my excuse for being lazy. Please, take it. 

I turn to my bento, my lunch packed inside. All the delicious foods are organized by dividers, colors brightening my bleak day. It was made by the person I love the most (my dad, if you forgot), which is why it looks so scrumptious. My mouth watered at the sight of this beauty. It looks so amazing, I'm tempted not to eat it. However, my stomach demands otherwise. 

I clasp my hands together, chopsticks held by my thumbs, and excitedly whisper, "Itadakimasu!" My fingers quickly maneuver the chopsticks in movements dedicated to a pro, and I go for the first bite of my meal. 

"Hi, (Y/n)!" a familiar voice bursts, loudly enough to make me jolt and drop my food. 

I'm overcome with instant glum. My food...! 

"How are you doing?" Sakura asks. 

My upset face doesn't turn to her, but to the fallen soldier lying on the ground. Rest in Peace, good one. You're beauty managed to change my day, even if that spark is slowly draining away from you now. 

"(Y/n)? (Yyy/nnn)..." Sakura chimes, waving a hand in front of my face to snap me out of my prayer and mental memorial for the bite. 

I look up to the green eyes peering into mine. They're wide and yet I can't see into them. The emotions she reads and thoughts she's hiding is undetectable. She's difficult to predict. 

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" I giggle, desperate to take my mind off of the bite of food. "I'm just... I have a lot on my mind." 

She sighs and walks around to the front of my desk and sits backward in the seat on the other side. The girl plops her lunch onto my desk, evident she'll be eating her lunch with me for the first time since... ever. "Is it because of the fight you had with Sasuke?" 

My blood runs cold. The muscles in my right arm tense at the mention of Sasuke, one of them twitching uncontrollably. Trying my best to hide my shaken state, I hold my hands under the desk and look out the window. I'm unsure of how to respond since I wasn't really expecting her to bring it up at all. 

Sakura takes note of my silence. "I'm sorry about what happened. Sasuke's... not usually like that." 

I scoff internally, not wanting to make a new enemy. Of course, she would see Sasuke like that. She's had a crush on him since grade school and still does. There's no way you could see the bad in someone you've liked for years. I mean... I don't see anything wrong with Naruto...

Stop it, stop it! I'm over him! 

"How is he like, then?" I spit a little drier than what I would've liked to come off. I wince and quietly apologize as a result. 

The pinkette leans back in the desk as she sits backward in the seat. "It's... not that easy to describe. He's... well, he doesn't openly insult someone that... quickly. Or, not quickly, but... Agh, I don't know how to explain it." 

My body relaxes at her flustered words. "You're fine. I didn't really want an explanation from you anyway. It wasn't your fault. Besides... it's not like he's the only one who said some things they shouldn't have." 

Sakura chuckles irresolutely. I can tell she's not positive on what to say next. "Yeah... From what I heard, it seems you said a lot." 

I lean my head against the window. "I did." 

The girl sighs deeply. "Don't worry about it too much. Things like that happen." 

"Three times?" 

"Three times? What do you mean?" 

I inhale sharply, forcing myself to meet her eyes again. Jashin, I hate eye contact during tense situations like this. So, I stare at the bridge of her nose. "I... well, when Sasuke and I went to get things that Saturday... we had an argument. And... and then we had two arguments out in the hall just now." 

Sakura stays silent and leans forward, ushering me to go on. 

"The first time was... well, we were just trying to get to know each other, but he said something, and I got mad, and then he got mad, and... well, you can take a guess at what happened next. Then out in the hall, I said we had to talk..." 

"About?" 

I choke—almost. About you, but, uh... "About the argument we had. I said something, he said something, and I got mad and... dumped a bucket on him." 

She giggles. "I saw." 

"Heh... well, he came back after drying off, I think, and I was supposed to clean everything as punishment while Sasuke could stay inside, but he decided to help." 

"And you got mad at him for that?" 

I shake my head from side to side in short, swift motions. "No, but I did say something about it, which then lead to him saying something, then I said something and got mad, then he said something and got mad, and then—" I cut myself short when I feel a little spark in my arm erupt. The sting that started hurting earlier from the argument, the bruise that appeared from Thursday, is attacking me. The delayed reaction. 

"H-hey, you okay?" Sakura leans over the table with a hand extended as a gesture to help. 

I pretend to look confused. I've been hiding CPS from people for so long, that it's become natural to me to make up excuses to keep its secret concealed. "Huh?" 

"You looked like you were in... pain." 

I scratch the back of my head. "Was I? Ah, I didn't think it hurt." 

"What did?" 

"Well, I got stressed from talking about... that, and pinched myself." What the hell did I blurt out? Didn't I just say I'm used to making up excuses? What was that then? 

"Oh!" Sakura's eyes turn into Os. "I get that sometimes." 

My brows merge together to form the almighty unibrow. "Y-you do?" 

"Yeah. Only when I'm anxious or stressed." 

I open my mouth to say something, but I don't. I decide to keep my mouth shut. 

"Anyway, we got off-topic. Continue?" 

This girl... she's, indeed, very confusing. 

"Where were we? Oh, right. He got mad, and then I got mad, and I think I said something personal..." 

"About him?" 

"No. About me, a-actually." 

Her eyes narrow. "He had to have said something pretty bad, then." Instead of responding, my head perks up to hers. Her arms crossed, brows narrowed, posture badass. "I mean, I don't know you, but you seem like the type of person who doesn't reveal themselves that easily. Secluded and mysterious. And when you do reveal even the hint about yourself, it's because of something important got to you." 

I stare at her, dumb-founded, surprised she was able to make such an accurate conclusion about me with only having known me for a few days. Am I that easy to read? Or... is she able to read people easily? 

"I... know you probably don't want to hear this from me, but I'm sorry for whatever he said. Yeah, he can be an ass sometimes... but I swear, he's not normally like that. I don't know what kind of relationship you two have, or whatever happened in the past, but I hope you can manage to get past it." 

My lips curve into a warm smile, my body already grateful for having her as a soon-to-be-better-than-just-a-friend. I don't know how she did it, but she managed to tie words perfectly into making me feel better and giving me hope that maybe Sasuke and I can get over whatever dilemma we're experiencing. I have no idea how lucky I am.


	24. XXII

I look at Sakura with a small smile that came from her advice. "Thank you—" 

"(J/N)!" a voice booms.

Jolts of electricity zap me and dread once again overcomes me. The nickname seems to drain Sakura of her energy momentarily, too. 

"(J/N), (J/N), (JJJJ/NNN)!" Naruto hops over and he slams his lunch down on my table. "(J/n), guess wha—" 

"Naruto, indoor voice!" Iruka-sensei orders. 

The blonde gulps loudly but replaces his embarrassment with that dorky smile, the same one that gives me butterflies whenever he flashes it at me, and his shining blue eyes that match the blue of the sky, clouds reflecting off of his irises perfectly, allowing me to let them absorb me into that world of his that—

(Y/n)! What the hell! 

"(J/n), guess what!" Naruto whisper shouts as he leans down to my level. 

Snarky. Act. Snarky. You are over this, so start acting like it! "Stop calling me (J/n)."

"Okay, but guess—"

My arm stings again and I have to quickly cover it up by interrupting him and asking, "What do you want, Naruto." 

"Remember how I owe you a favor?"

I roll my eyes. "Yes." 

He beams his signature smile as if he knows I'm acting this way and w. "Well, maybe a way to get you to forgive me... is I do your homework!" Naruto cheers with a fist to emphasize his determination. 

However, the idea of him doing my homework does not sound appalling. 

"For a week!" 

Shit, this guy will make me fail in every class! "NO! I mean, no. Thank you, Naruto, but... I can't let you." 

"What?" he pouts, making my heart fold into an origami of hurt. "But..." 

I sigh. "I'll forgive you sooner or later, but on my terms. You have to do a favor that I choose, not you." 

The boy crosses his arms as he envelopes himself into a train of thought. He stares at me with intense eyes making me wish I crumbled out of existence. Before my body disappeared, Naruto's eyes pop open, and he grins brightly. "Alright!" 

I raise a brow but nod reluctantly. "Alright..." 

"I'll do whatever it takes to get you to forgive me!" 

"Forgive you? I doubt that's gonna ever happen." 

My entire frame goes rigid at the sound of his voice. My fingers tempt to shake violently from my worry, regret, fear, disappointment, but I heed it from doing so. I'm suddenly faced with a problem. How to really respond to Sasuke especially after everything that happened. I'm nervous, I'm scared. What if I say something to upset him, and the secrets I was stupid enough to let slip out? What if he tells the whole class in attempts to destroy my life? What if I screw up just one more time, and that's the reason my life spirals down the drain? 

"Hey, that's mean, Sasuke!" Naruto accuses and bends down to me, wrapping an arm around me. I'd blush, but I'm too busy trying to keep my anxiety down. "After all, she promised!" 

I don't look up to meet anyone's eyes. Instead, I keep my attention to my bento of food which suddenly doesn't look as appealing as it did before. The colors appeared to be drained and lifeless. I'm not hungry anymore. 

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sakura waves her hands to draw attention. "Why does she have to forgive you?" 

Naruto laughs nervously. "Well... I kinda... dumped the bucket of water onto her—" 

"What?" 

I scoff and look out the window, hoping to take my mind off of everything. Three people surround me and sirens go off in my introverted self because of them. 

"It was an accident! I swear!" 

"Well, you didn't apologize right away. You laughed at me instead," I harshly say. 

Silence follows my remark. I sure managed to shut them up quickly. Eleven words and that was all. 

"W-well..." Naruto starts. "And that's why I owe her a favor!" 

"That's stupid," Sasuke mutters to him. 

"Why would that be stupid?" I ask, sliding my eyes over from the window to peer at him.

I almost shudder under the harsh, lethal glower he sends me. I've been in class with for years and I can say he's never looked angrier than he does when glaring at me. That only adds to the guilt and fear rattling inside me. 

"Are you taking advantage of him?" he demands. 

My brows twitch at hearing that. "What? Taking advantage of him?" 

"Isn't that what you're—"

"Oi! Sasuke!" Naruto shouts, placing a hand on Sasuke's chest to push him back away from me. "What are you saying? It was my idea for me to do her a favor!" 

"I find that really hard to believe, dobe." 

"Aw, come on, dude! I'm not kidding!" 

"She might be, though." 

My throat tightens when hearing his words. They shouldn't matter because he doesn't matter to me... but I feel hurt, my chest pounding a little harder than it needs to be. I'm letting him get to me, and I don't know how to stop it. 

"Sasuke!" Sakura pipes, eyes widened in shock. 

"S-Sakura," I choke. My eyes desperately tell her to let it go. 

The girl's hand balls into a fist, but she lets go with a sigh. I can tell the look she's giving me is both reassuring and doubtful. Part of her wants to stop this and knock some sense into the Uchiha, but the other part hidden behind her kind eyes is the desire to see what happens next. She's the popular girl, she gets her name around by drama. I have nothing against it. It's not unnatural of her. 

"Not responding to me again, huh?" he continues. The gleam in his eyes gives it all away when he glares me down. 

Now I know he's just egging me on, testing me. Does he really want me to let it slip out? Is he trying to get something out of me? Or does he need a reason to let out whatever information I already gave him? 

"Hypocrite." 

And like that, a bomb explodes in my stomach. 

"Sasuke, that's enough," Naruto demands. "Sorry, (J/n), someone just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, hehe... Uh, (J/n)?" 

My hands, sweaty and shaking, interlock aggressively as if to pull off each and every individual finger. My head hangs low to hide the fear in my eyes, my quivering lips, and the anger splashed across my expression. "What do you want from me?" 

"I should ask you that question. Was what we last talked about you trying to get me to give you money?" 

I freeze, but not because he said something that was true, but because it was entirely false. "What?" 

Naruto and Sakura have no words, looking to me as if it were the truth. 

"Did you make up that whole story to try to get me to pity you and lend you some of it?" 

What? Make up a story? Money? Lending me some of it? What is he talking about? 

"Or was the whole 'your family being broke' true?"

At this point, Naruto is too confused and surprised to hold Sasuke back any longer. He stumbles into a desk when Sasuke lightly shoves him away. He now towers above me, a hand on my desk as he leans in. 

"And your 'illness'? Was that made up, too? Was everything that happened Saturday just part of this whole scheme or—"

I don't know what got into me, but I bolted up which seemed to frighten him just enough for him to step back. My blood was boiling from hearing that last sentence. Even if I knew I wasn't going to do anything erotic because of it, the pang in my chest made it seem like I was going to regret whatever it was. 

I don't say anything, however. Based on what happened last time, I don't want to experience the same guilt again. Besides, it'll only add fuel to his fire, and I'm not about to have a huge argument in front of the entire class. 

"Still not saying anything, huh?" He cocks his head to the side, believing he's winning all of this. "I'm guessing since your not denying any of what I'm saying, it must be true—" 

My arm whips into action before I can even process it all. Just hearing his voice again, talking tas if he owns me, has the right to just insult me. It's completely unfair... no, it's worse. It's so much worse. 

I yank him by the tie and down to my height, even if there wasn't that much of a difference. My eyes lock with his, more than just a threat sending him messages. I keep my lips sealed, still, even if my lungs demanded I scream at him. Adrenaline poured through my veins, hyping me for the fight or flight about to take place. Still, I just glared into those dark eyes of his. 

"You act so tough," he whispers. Since we're so close, there's no reason to speak loudly. This is our battle, not the class's. "But what's really hiding under that thick mask of yours? Under all of the lies you use to get people to use them for your benefit? You act like your family is suffering, like you are suffering, but no one at this school has even thought you were close to ill. It seems completely made up—" 

"You don't know anything about me," I hiss, my breath scarce from the oh-so-timed pain that decided to explode in my arm. 

"And what makes you so sure of that?" 

My mouth opens to speak, but everything prevents me from saying anything. My voice caves, my mind goes blank, the pain begins to grow ever slowly. Do I have anything I can use to prove to him that I'm not lying? And if I did... that would mean that everything I said would be true... and he would spread the word, making everything a living hell from this moment on. I don't have anything to say. He's not worth it. He's... not... worth... it. 

"You really are a fucking hypocrite." 

That's it. 

The lunch I thought was so appetizing? It looked so much better after I dumped it on the Uchiha. I was swirling in a pool of too much adrenaline, emotion, and pain to even feel upset about my now-gone lunch. Before I knew, before anyone knew, my mouth opened, no longer able to hold back the belligerent words that were locked inside the cage of a throat I had. "I would never lie to get someone to give me money, especially from an asshole like you. I may not have proof, but I sure have my opinions of you that'll have to be enough! You annoy me, you frustrate me, you anger me. Uchiha Sasuke, I hate you! And I always have!" 

It may have been wrong of me to say that. It may have made people think I'm horrible for saying something like that. It may have been too harsh for me to say. It may have even hurt him. I didn't care at that point. My arm had suddenly burst into flames and it was time for me to end it all with the words I've wanted to say to him ever since I middle school.

And boy, it felt good to get it off of my chest.


	25. XXIII

I snatch the strap of my book bag and throw it over my shoulder. I'm so close to shivering under the eyes of everyone around me, the way they watch me exit the door. Had I not been so riled, I would've cowardly hidden. Had I not been so hurt, I would've made an awkward move. My arm ached, it burned like hell, and that was enough to get me out of there. 

My escape was quick, meaning no one really had time to gape at me for what I had said, to strangle me for even having the thought, to criticize me for saying it to another classmate and that it's against school policy. I didn't care anymore. 

Uchiha Sasuke, I hate you! And I always have!

The words echo in my head as I threw my bag to the corner of the stall, slamming the door shut with a loud clack! My back slides down against the wall and I can finally let go of the act I was upholding. 

There's a sharp inhale as another wave washes through my arm, adding oxygen to the flame beneath my skin. I kick the floor to let out some of the stress I had from the balled-up lava in my arm. I take some time to make enduring the discomfort more bearable. Things such as laying a certain way, resting my arm this way versus that way, which knee to prop up, how to turn my head, how long each breath should take, what I should be thinking about, et cetera. You wouldn't believe all of the factors can alter the amounts of pain during a CPS reaction. 

Or maybe I trick myself into believing that. 

Finally, once I'm on the lowest point on this wicked rollercoaster, I reach into my bag and yank out my medicine. My thumb pops open the cap, dumps one onto my lap, closes the container, and places the pill on the back of my tongue. Having done this so much, you get used to doing this process so much, it almost becomes a second language. 

I grab my water bottle and chug it. I really only needed a sip for the pill, but drinking lots of water can help with the whole 'decreasing the pain' deal. It's different for some people, but my specialists tested it and found it worked for me whenever I have a 'burning sensation', or that's what they called it. Otherwise, water won't affect my numbing, stabbing, shocking, prickling, or itching pains. 

After downing the whole bottle, I gasp for air and glare at my hurting arm. It'll take moments before the burning dissipates, and even then, the fire won't be entirely gone. The only reason I say it disappears is that the relief is eighty times better than the original pain outburst. It almost feels like nothing once you take the right medication. Only in comparison, though. 

A group of girls from my class stumble into the bathroom with hushed voices gossiping. Their footsteps are as light as a feather, the 'proper' and 'girly' way of walking. They sound like mice hustling into the restroom, squeaky and quiet. I almost freeze upon hearing them, my social anxiety skyrocketing.

I just hope my sudden stress doesn't reverse the effects of the medicine. That would be unfortunate. 

"I cannot believe what just happened in class!" one girl gasps. 

"Oh my Jashin, I know, right?" her friend responds. 

"That girl had the audacity to say that to Sasuke? Does she even know who he is?" the third girl groans. 

"Apparently not," Number Two replies. 

Number One sighs. "Sasuke must be so hurt right now. He's so used to everybody loving him, it must be weird having someone hate him." 

Number Three snickers. "I doubt she hates him. She's probably just trying to get his attention by hating him, even though she's secretly in love with him." 

"So that's her master plan! Stealing our years of hard work to get closer to him—" the second girl rages but is soon interrupted by the opening of a door. My door. 

"Evening," I say plainly, readjusting the strap of my bookbag. "How's your lunch?" 

The three girls gape at me, unsure of what to say. They probably weren't expecting the girl they were gossiping about to be in the stall right behind them. Completely silent.

"Cool, cool. I didn't get to eat mine. Anyway, see ya in class, lads." With that, I quickly exit the bathroom to avoid their intense gazes. What they said, I don't mind. It's them staring at me that gets under my skin. 

After having calmed me down, I turn to enter the classroom but stop to realize I'll be seeing not just him, but Naruto, Sakura, and everyone he hangs out with. I'm sure they won't be happy with what I've said. Plus, they'll be curious about many things, having several questions and comments to pressure me with—agh, can I handle it? 

Besides, I don't have lunch anymore, so I'd have to find something for myself to occupy. Even if I'm starting to get hungry. Nah, forget it. It doesn't really— 

"(Y/n)..." 

Chills run down my spine at the sound of my name. With a gulp, I turn to the girl who stands at the other door to the classroom, one hand fisted, resting on her chest, the other on the door handle. Her pink hair is still, just as motionless and tense as her body. Her eyes stare widely at me, pure shock still evident in the greens of her eyes. Even from this distance, I can feel how nervous she is. 

"Sakura..." I breathe. 

"I... um..." She looks away, somewhere outside with something that might intrigue her. 

"I'm... sorry..." 

"Why?" 

I flinch. "Um, you probably didn't want to know that I... had strong feelings for one of your friends." 

She awkwardly chuckles, her brows shaking under the pressure of trying to uphold this conversation with me. "That's... that's not... Heh, this isn't..." 

"Y-you're fine. Don't force yourself." 

She nods as she allows her hands to fall to her sides. "Lunch isn't over yet. Did you want to take a walk with me?" 

"Sure, of course," I say with a light smile splashing my face while a feeling of worry builds up in my chest. There's a little hop to my jog as I catch up with her. I try to keep the tapping of my shoes as light as possible since the halls decided to be as quiet as us. I had to even be conscious of my breath as not to make loud inhales and exhales. Everything I do, I keep watch on to make sure I didn't accidentally annoy or disturb Sakura. I'm sure she's already disappointed in me for saying something so hurtful to her longtime crush... and right in front of her, too. 

It seems that we were the only two walking in the halls. The warm glow from the sun outside the windows beamed at our feet as we trotted through the lonely hallway, neither of us finding enough courage to utter a word. Until I did. 

"Sakura." 

"Hm?" 

I exhale deeply, this time, not caring if it was too loud. "I'm really sorry." 

"(Y/n), it's not that bad." 

"But it is, though!" I protest. "I..." 

"Don't. You can be as sorry as you want, but I'm still thankful." 

I raise a brow. "Y-you are?" 

She nods, her eyes sliding over and meeting mine. "I am. Even though you said you hated him, you still put up with him when we were together. You never made me worry, or Naruto worry... You acted as if it didn't matter." 

"Sakura, I—" 

"I'm really happy that you put it behind you. But... had I known how Sasuke talked to you, maybe I would've—" 

"No. No maybes. Whether you did something or not, I think the outcome would have been the same." 

"You do?" she asks before stopping in her tracks to look at me full on. 

With hesitancy, I nod. "No matter, I'm still sorry. I shouldn't have said it in front of you and I wasn't mature about it." 

She looks away. "You know... I'm sorry, too." 

I pause in my tracks. "Hmm? Why would you be sorry? You didn't do anything." 

She turns around, tilting her head innocently. "It's for what I'm about to do." 

My brows knit together. That ball of worry in my chest growing more and more with every word she says. Flashes cross my mind as if my brain predicted the final picture after putting all the puzzle pieces together. It's not a comforting feeling. 

"Hehe, um, what are you about to do?" 

"(Y/n)... your apology is everything to me. Thank you. I respect your views, your strength, and your opinions. But... there's no way I can make a strong enough bond with you if you're always hating on the person I admire most." 

My eyes slightly widen. Whatever she's gonna do, it's gonna be bad for me, isn't it? "What are you saying...?" 

Her eyes avoid mine, no surprise. I can see she's unnerved and anxious about something. Whatever she's going to do, it's making her nervous, and that makes me nervous. 

"Look, I'm sure it wouldn't be that big of a deal if I just accepted all of this. And it's really not my place... but Naruto and I—" 

"Naruto?" I query. What does he have to do with any of this? 

"Yeah, both of us... we couldn't be mature enough to accept this so... that's why I'm apologizing." 

"I'm still not getting it." 

She smiles shyly and brings herself to look in my eyes. "I know." 

I open my mouth to say something, but when she pushed me, I couldn't even bring myself to squeak. Time spins slowly, the noise around me dimming momentarily. I see Sakura mouth a word. 'Naruto'. In moments, I feel two arms wrap around me from behind and quickly drag me into a room. My mind cannot decide between Fight or Flight, so instead, I play dead. 

However, my moments of rest didn't last long. I feel my body tossed into a room aggressively, a result of which I fall hard into a shelf. Several objects tumbled under the sudden off-balance from my crash causing them to topple over and onto me. Mixed with the ruckus of items clacking onto the floor and yelps after objects clash with my head, I hear a door shut and click. A dreadful realization tells me it's locked. 

My immediate reaction is to get up, bang on the door, and demand an explanation for this nonsense. Whatever Sakura and Naruto are planning, they better have a good excuse after tossing me like a sack of potatoes. Why they sounded so mysterious, it confuses me. Especially when Sakura apologized. If that doesn't raise any suspicion, I don't know what does. 

The only thing that held me back from springing up was the pounding and ringing in my head. My back is sore after having it slammed into the awkward shelving of this bookshelf. My head pounds. When all the random objects fell, they weren't merciful with their fall. Even after I slid to my bum on the ground, they just kept rolling onto me. 

Shit. Of course. My luck. The girl with the lowest pain tolerance and she gets all these random pain-related events thrown at her. Then again... nobody knows about my illness, so it's not like it's their fault for what happens to me. 

My head beats to the sound of Jumanji with its waves of pain. Pressure builds up around the outsides of my head, especially behind my eyes. It's compacted so much, it makes my eyes sting and create tears. My cheeks feel like balloons from biting them to bear the pain. Thank Jashin I took a pill just earlier, otherwise, this wound would hurt ten times worse. 

"Well." 

I freeze completely, dismissing any discomfort surrounding me right now. After hearing that voice, I immediately realized what Sakura and Naruto were putting together. Everything she said makes all the more sense now. Not being able to deal with us, someone she admired most, it affecting Naruto, too... why couldn't I predict this? How could I have not seen this coming? 

Slowly and shakily, I turn my head over in the direction of the person sitting against the wall next to me, his same broody look stitched to his face. His eyes pierce me like they always do, disgust and annoyance swirling in the lifeless irises of his. 

My anxiety, anger, fear, and all other emotions flood back to me, fighting over control of my mouth to speak. I could hardly contain myself when all my feelings synchronized. It came out as a singular audible word: 

"Fuck."


	26. XXIV

"Fuck? Is that a way to greet me?" 

I narrow my eyes, more because of the pain than anything else. 

He shakes his head at my silence. "Still not responding. Even after that confession?" 

My lips pursue as I only continue to stare him down. He's acting so nonchalant about this whole situation, even after I straight up told him I hated his guts. It's as if it's not even affecting him at all, whatsoever. I don't know if it's annoying me or not. All I know is that it's not satisfying. 

"What, do I have something on my face?" he says with a smirk. 

I scoff and roll my eyes so far, they go back into my head and catch a glimpse of my brain. Instead of focusing on him, I try to control my anxiety by studying the fallen objects. They seem to be old, worn-out items that the classes utilized until we got new supplies. Yeah, now I know why I'm hurting so much. This spray bottle? Not empty. 

"Hey." 

I snap back to him. 

"Do you hate me that much that you can't even say a word to me?" he spits, propping one leg up. 

Awkwardly, I tilt the spray bottle and read its labels. I'm not ignoring him, I'm just having a panic attack on what to say. Can I say I'm dealing with it well? I'm reading a spray bottle's components. You tell me. 

I sigh and turn to the Uchiha after setting the bottle on the shelf behind me. "I'm not ignoring you." 

"Funny. Because it doesn't seem like it." 

"Well? What is it supposed to seem like?" I scowl. 

"Do you always have this attitude?" 

"Well, considering I hate your existence, I suppose it makes sense." 

He simply narrows his eyes at me, which he casually does to several people, no matter how much they admire him. If he doesn't like them, that's final. 

"Then I guess this makes their plan pointless." 

"Whose plan?" I question, cocking a brow. 

Sasuke gives me a look that read 'you are clearly the dumbest person in the world' to which I mimic. With a sigh, he says, "Naruto and Sakura's." 

"What is their plan?" 

"You really are deaf." 

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, would you care to repeat that?" 

"Why? Because you didn't hear me?" 

My lips snap shut. You win this one. 

"Even I could understand her while you guys were talking outside." 

"Fantastic. You're an eavesdropper." 

He rolls his eyes. "Do you want to know or not?" 

I cross my arms and look away. In the end, though, I reluctantly utter, "Fine." 

"Basically, Naruto and Sakura want us to make up." 

Unconsciously, I throw my head back with a short-lived laugh. Short-lived because I instantly came to the realization that he wasn't joking. I put together the bits and pieces Sakura was saying to me, about how she couldn't bear us not getting along. 

"Naruto said the same stuff she did, so it was easy to put it all together." 

"Wow, fantastic, Mr. Detective! You solved the case!" I exaggerate with a forced cheerful expression before reverting back to my annoyed glower. 

He squints at me, more out of confusion than anger for my comment, which takes me back a little bit. "You really do hate me, don't you?" 

"Because saying it three times wasn't enough."

"Why do you hate me so much?" 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where I shut the fuck up. My blood chills at the formation of the question. It stumps me so much that it forces me to look away. 

"How about this: how long have you hated me?" 

Didn't I already tell you that? But I guess... maybe he was too focused on the part that I 'hated' him to register what I said afterward. "Always." 

"Give me a real answer." 

"Why should I?" 

"Because you haven't given me a clear answer since Saturday." 

My breath hitches. I look down at my lap, my fingers intertwining with one another. He's right. Maybe it was because I hated him that I never found a legitimate reason to give him a straight answer. Now that he knows I despise him, I guess he has a right. If I were in his position, I'd ask the same, wouldn't I? 

"I... I'm not entirely sure." 

"Well, that just cleared things up—" 

"I'm not done," I snap, pointing a finger at him. Impatient much? "I just... the first time we met, I didn't care much. The second time, I started to care a lot more. But... there was no reason to. It just suddenly... uh." Since the word didn't pop into my mind correctly, I wave my hands from my chest and shove them away from me, showing I'm struggling to find a word. "Whatever. But... I think after I started to care more, I also started to notice how mean you actually were to me during elementary school, and other kids in the grade. So I think I started hating you then." 

"Huh." 

"Huh? That's all you've got?" 

"No, I'm just letting it sink in. Calm down." 

"Calm down my ass," I whisper and turn away from him. 

He exhales deeply, which slightly aggravates me. Again, I guess when it comes to hating someone, every little thing they do annoys you. It goes for my brother, at least. "I just thought you would've had another excuse. A better one." 

"Well, it doesn't take much to make someone hate you." 

"Well, if you hated me so much, why'd you act as if you didn't care?" 

I hum to myself as I bite the inside of my cheek. My temples slowly build up pressure, and a little drum to throb in pain against me. Some headache I'm getting. "I... I was... well..." 

"Having trouble speaking?" 

"Shut it," I hiss, side-eyeing him. "I just... stopped letting it get to me, I guess." 

"That's a lie." 

"It's not." 

"Fine, whatever you say, but I know that's not why." 

"And what makes you say that?" 

"You suck at lying." 

"Oh, is that so?" 

He looks me dead in the eye. "It is." 

I clench my teeth behind sealed lips causing my jaw to tighten. I mean, I'm not the best at lying, but I'm not ass either. I manage to fool Hinata, and she can almost see through anything. Why is he any different? 

"So, if you will, tell me." 

I study him for longer, trying to find any sort of red flag that would hinder me from engaging in further conversation. There was nothing. Everything was painted in the color green, an 'okay' for me to continue. 

I still hesitate. 

"It's just like you said. I have a right to know." 

Of course, my words used against me. I could just not respond and live up to my hypocritical self, but part of me believes it's alright not to hold anything back. Even if you hate your enemy, telling him your reasons shouldn't mean anything different. After all, one's opinions usually remain strong. 

"You get confessions every day," I start, messing with my fingers. "Maybe not the same numbers, but always at least one every day. And each time... you reject them as if they were nothing but a pebble. I hated you for just tossing girls like us around like nothing. All they did was tell you they admired you, that they had crushes on you for the longest time, but you dismiss them without even giving them a chance. You don't even accept their feelings and because of that, you crush their hearts. They still push past it. They somehow manage to get past your discouraging, heart-breaking words. I hated it. I hated how they still acted fine even after you hurt them. And do you know why they wouldn't let your mean words get to them?"

Sasuke doesn't shake his head or give any sort of sign that he's going to answer my rhetorical question. He just continues to stare. Not a stare that said he was disinterested, no, but a look that was intent on what I was saying. 

"It's because they cared too much. They love you too much to accept that you only think of them as trash. And even still, you just...! Every day, it's the same thing! Harsh rejection after another. I hate you for that." 

He inhales and holds that breath, giving me a look I've never seen before. His expression, his body language, everything was telling me he was listening to every word I was speaking and he wasn't arguing back like he was before. His black, soulless eyes seemed to hold an understanding, as if whatever I was saying made sense to him. Not that it made any changes, but it definitely turned the flame in my eyes down a notch. 

Sasuke stays silent for a moment, letting everything sink in. I respect that he doesn't argue right away and keep quiet. No, I wasn't done, but if he's willing to converse maturely, then I will, too. 

"You're wrong." 

Oh, and that's where it all goes down. After I let him have his moment and even had the chance to respect him, he just has to straight up tell me that I'm wrong. What am I wrong about? Is he kidding me? Does he seriously think—

"They don't like me." 

I lift a brow and analyze him. No emotion is expressed now, but it was probably better that way. 

"You make it sound like those girls are in love with me. They're not. They confess these things to me, but they mean nothing. Every day, it's the same thing. A person tells me they love me and whatnot, but it's not right. They only love what I show. My money, my looks, my smarts. They don't truly know me. They've never even talked to me before until then. What they say are empty words. How am I supposed to accept that?"

For once in my life, I don't have the urge to argue back. I sit there and take in his words, not letting them out the other ear no matter how much my brain wanted to. What's crazier is that he made sense, that everything he was saying finally presents him as a relatable person. This whole time, whenever I listened in on the girls as they cried about how they confessed and Sasuke had just dismissed them, I grew to hate this person. Deep loathing for the way he treated every single girl. 

It all makes sense now. I agree. There's no love these girls have, it's just an obsessive crush. He's right. They don't know anything about him, only that he's rich, he's smart, and how he looks, which is exactly what he said. Huh. Who knew that the other side of the story would have an impact on mine. 

"You still reject them harshly." 

He sighs. "There's no easy way to reject them. No matter how many times you do it." 

I remain silent, those words hitting hard. I guess I wouldn't really know. Nobody ever likes me, much less confesses to me. This guy is the complete opposite. And we're soulmates. Funny, isn't it? 

"You still didn't answer my question. Why you didn't act as if you hated my guts." 

Just as he reminded me, something flashed before my mind. I smile to myself when I see the girl I'm picturing, the one who made me see a better side of Sasuke for some time. Amiko. Eyes that only see the good in people, much like Hinata. She's a shy girl, not one to show her feelings. The one who couldn't even see the wrong in Sasuke, her long-time crush. 

"There was this girl..." I slur, resting my hand on my chin. 

"Did you have a crush on her or is there another reason why you say that like she's a goddess?" 

I flinch. "N-no! It's not like that! I just... she was really nice. She had a crush on you since forever, you know. But she wasn't like the other girls, where you were always on her mind. She never obsessed over you, but she cared for you deeply. Whenever you were on her mind, she would talk to me since she knew I didn't care for you. Never once did she say anything about your money. Yes, she said you looked good and you were smart, but those weren't the main points of her conversation. She described you like some sort of mythical being." 

"I'm flattered." 

I roll my eyes. This guy is really dimming the mood. "She said you were kind to her every time you would talk, you would help her on the problems she asked help with and you wouldn't act like a demon I described you as." 

"Thanks." 

"You're welcome," I reply without even realizing it. Sarcasm is automatically embedded in my system. "I don't remember everything she said, mostly because you were an asshole in my eyes, but what made me not hate you as much was just the way she was able to talk about you. It made me start to try and look for... okay qualities in you." 

"Huh. Never would've guessed a fangirl changed your mind." 

I chuckle dryly to myself. "That wasn't even the most mind-changing part. It was after her confession. Unlike all the other girls, she was completely fine. Even though you rejected her, she accepted it and moved on. She never stopped admiring you, but after that, she started to bother you less and less up until the moment she moved. Do you even remember who that was?" 

"Again, every day someone confesses to me." 

Snap! Back to my snarky self after hearing that comment. "Of course. It happens all the time, there's no way you'd remember them. As soon as they start talking, it's just one ear out the other, same routine as always." 

He remains silent, giving me one point for that, putting all his good intentions back behind bars. It's gonna be hard to get out of this one—

"Goromaru Akiri." 

"Who?" I tilt my head towards him but keep my eyes on the ground. 

"Goromaru Akiri. Class E." 

Where is he going with this? It's so out of the blue. "Oh... okay. What about her?" 

"Wednesday after school, she confessed." 

"So? A lot of girls confess to you, how is she any—" I cut myself short. My eyes slowly widen as realization sets in. 'There's no way you'd remember them,' I said. 

"Fujiki Hisa. Friday during lunch. Harada Itsuki confessed two weeks ago. Hosaka Ryuko three weeks ago. Ejiri Kagami confessed to me four times in the past month. Chiura Midori did it twice last Monday, the second time was to make sure she heard me right." 

My jaw drops slightly at hearing all the names he remembers, even if it's not all of them. A girl from three weeks ago? I wouldn't have remembered that. I didn't even think he could remember that name, much less the other girls. I simply thought he shooed them away as soon as they finished, only being human enough to let them complete their confession. I never would've thought he actually listened. And all this time I absolutely despised him for dismissing all these poor girls for them to come running and pour out their feelings of pain. 

I must've looked so dumbfounded right now, proven so wrong to the point it made my headache completely disappear for a minute, solid. "But..." 

"I'm not so heartless, you know," he says and looks away from me and at the wall next to him. 

Was I wrong? Was everything I said based on all of my emotions from my assumptions?

This whole time, I had always thought how horrible of a person he was, but after hearing all of those names, people I've met, the same people who cry their eyes out since it hurt them so much that he didn't feel the same about them. I had thought he was just an ass to them, getting bored of the same interactions over and over and over again that it had gone so far, he didn't care about other people's feelings. 

Maybe he wasn't the bad person. Maybe it was me. I mean, I'm the one who went based on these stupid, single-minded girls. I assumed that he thought them all as little shits, I assumed he was an asshole, I assumed he didn't care at all when in reality, I was the one who didn't care. 

I didn't care enough to get to know this person underneath the surface that the fangirls had created. Without even second-guessing myself, I judged some guy who really wasn't doing anything wrong. It was all me. 

"Heh," I breathe and peer down at my interlocking phalanges, distorting into abstract creations I subconsciously made. It looked as though it was complicated, at first glance appearing mangled. Though, surprisingly, it was a simple fabrication of my fingers angling and bending themselves in order to fit properly. Only when I stopped twisting my fingers did I mumble, "I guess I owe you an apology." 

"Why?" he demands, his voice gentler than all the previous times I've communicated with him. 

"Because I judged you pretty badly. You're not... that bad of a person." 

"Thanks. Appreciate it." 

"You should. It's the closest to a compliment you're gonna get from me." 

He shakes his head giving what seems to be—oh my Jashin, lord, and savior, am I blind, is this real, am I dreaming, what I can't believe is even possible—a genuine smile. It's hardly noticeable, but it wasn't entirely hidden either. "I guess I should take it, then." He lifts his eyes back to me and the effects it had on me. 

I smirk and fold my arms triumphantly, ignoring the warmth in my cheeks after the look he gave me. "Hmph." 

"I'm guessing since you're smiling at me that you don't hate me as much anymore? If you don't, Naruto and Sakura will never let us out," he plainly states, frustration crossing his face at the thought of his two best friends. 

I chuckle. "Well, I can't say I don't hate you at all, but I guess I hate you a lot less. Maybe..." 

He sighs as he stares out the door. "I guess that works. Do you not hate me enough that you'll stop insulting me now?" 

"Hahaha, nope! The more I like you, the more insulted you're gonna get!" 

"Great, I should've just kept everything to myself to save me the trouble." 

"Hey! It's about the intentions, you know!" 

"You're starting to sound like Naruto now," he claims, eyes widening. Even a hand clenches the side of his head as he relays experiences with the hothead. 

"Oh, does it annoy you, dattebayo?" I ask.

"I'm gonna tear myself apart."

"I'll make it my mission to see it through." 

"If you keep talking like that, I'm going to start hating you." 

"Hurt. I'm truly hurt. After all that we've confessed?" 

"Yeah, well, that's in the past now." 

I laugh at his responses, a real laugh. Out of everything that happened today, a whole-hearted laugh is definitely what I needed. "Who knew all we needed was a talk?" 

"Yeah, well this is the only nice conversation you'll get with me." 

"What?" I stammer. 

"You can insult me all you want, but just because we're not arguing anymore doesn't mean I'm going to treat you like some royalty. You better expect some insults, too." 

"That's fair. I accept," I say with a cheesy grin. 

He nods, running his fingers through his hair. "Now, we should get back to the classroom. Lunch will be over soon." 

"Mhmm. You're probably right." My head throbs momentarily as I stand up and wipe myself off, but I wasn't about to let it ruin my few healthy minutes with the Uchiha. I pay no mind to the objects sitting on the floor, seeing as it was Naruto's fault in the first place. "Besides," I start with a smirk and look at him as he stands up. "We've got some unfinished business with those two knuckleheads."


	27. Actor!AU Special

This is a Special about scenes in the book as if they were bloopers! These are the scrapped yet humorous scenes that never made it into the script but the author, me, saved for cases such as these! 

This is an appreciation for reading my book and for your support. I love y'all. (And because I'm still editing the next couple chapters and it might be a while so use this to spare your time wisely) 

These are cheesy, I will warn you; but the last time I published this, everyone seemed to like it. So read on while I cringe horribly. 

💮 💮 💮

Scene 1: Naruto-Kiba water fight

What you expected to be a little dramatic fight between the boys where they got the young (Y/n) caught up in turned out to be more of a pool party. 

After one of the boys had 'accidentally' dumped the whole bucket of water on the girl, the atmosphere on the set changed completely. (Y/n) knew she wouldn't be able to get the boys back properly if the scene had successfully gone down. So, she acted her part up until she screamed, "Free for all!" and reached into one of the cubbies to pull out her own bucket of water. 

Naruto squeaked and tried to run away but ran into Kiba doing the same. Both got drenched in (Y/n)'s waterfall. Kiba, even though wet, tried to scamper away from further madness only to slip in a puddle. He flew backward aggressively, bumping into Naruto who tipped and crashed into (Y/n). 

The girl cried in fear as everyone toppled over one another, yet the fight wasn't over. 

Giggling menacingly, (Y/n) scooped what little she could from the puddle of water and rubbed it into Naruto's face. 

"Ew!" he whined and scrambled upwards. He tried to stumble away from (Y/n) who was getting up to attack again, but the blonde found a slippery spot and was racing. No matter what, he forced himself to stay upright, but the entire set was erupting in euphoria watching him stumble. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh5XPk_RGBA (you won't be disappointed)

In the end, with Kiba and (Y/n) laughing so hard, they slipped along with Naruto and crashed onto the floor again, this time not getting up. 

"T-take it—" (Y/n) gasped for breath in between her giggles, "Take it from the top, please!" 

Scene 2: In the car

"What are you doing?" Sasuke demands, watching me struggle to open the door that's clearly locked. 

"Getting out of here!" (Y/n) fires back. 

"Oh my god, sit back in your seat and—" 

"No, you goddamn motherfucker—" 

Bleep. Rewind. 

"Sit back in your seat and—" 

"No, you insolent rat—" 

Bleep. Rewind. 

"Sit back in your seat and—" 

"No, you whale whore!" 

...

"Pfft! AHAHAHAHA!" Naruto howls from behind the camera, holding his gut as he slowly slides down his chair after hearing (Y/n)'s fantastic insult. 

Naruto's laugh spreads like a virus, onto Kiba, Hinata, and even (Y/n) who loses control of it all. Her laugh has a similar effect to Naruto's. It's one where you hear it and it makes the situation so much funnier. But not in an ugly way. It's the type that makes Sasuke struggle to keep a straight face watching the girl. His face will be emotionless one second, but you'll see it twitch every now and then from hearing everyone's laugh. 

"BAHAHAHAHA~" (Y/n) cries tears of joy. "HEHEHAHAHA!"

The Uchiha stares directly into the camera, doing his best to keep his face mutual. "Can we... can we start from the top, again?" 

Scene 3: Hallway, after confession

"What? I'm still not getting it, Sakura," (Y/n) says. 

"I know," Sakura replies before leaning into (Y/n)'s ear to whisper something. 

That's when (Y/n) turns to the camera for seconds, a completely expressionless face. At first, I was confused about what the hell she was doing in the middle of the scene, staring at me like I blew up her entire family, but then she started to wiggle her eyebrows. The girl made some funky moves with those lines of hair on her forehead before adding in shoulder drops to a certain familiar beat. 

Before you know, Sakura is joining in, too, the same eyebrow and shoulder dance (Y/n) was doing. 

Few giggles scattered across the cast, studying these two girls' random show. But what was really funny was when they began to sing...

The Wii theme song. 

(Y/n) started. "Du-" 

"Du du"

"Du" 

"Du" 

"DU.DU.DU."

"Dududu." 

"Du-" 

"Du"

"Du"

"Du du" 

"DUUU" 

"Du du." 

"Du."

"Du."

"Du."

"Du."

"Du."

"Du"

"Du du du." 

"DU.DU.DU."

"Du du du du du du—"

Scene 4: Closet

"Can some make sure (Y/n)'s okay? Naruto threw her pretty hard into that closet." 

The blonde scratches the back of his head, embarrassed. 

"Yeah, sure—" Hinata starts, opening the door slightly—

"I DON'T GET NO SLEEP CAUSE OF Y'ALL!" (Y/n) bursts out from behind the door, banging a bucket against a spray bottle. "Y'ALL AIN'T NEVER GONNA SLEEP CAUSE OF ME—" 

Scene 5: Hallway, after confession

"I don't understand, Sakura." 

"I know." 

Queuing the boy, the blonde rushes in to make the scene come all together. Or so we thought... Naruto grabs (Y/n) bridal style and carries her down the hall, skipping away. 

"Where is he going?" 

"Hey!" Sasuke shouts. "Where are you taking her?" 

Naruto just laughs instead of giving an answer. (Y/n) chuckles along with him after seeing Sasuke sprint down the hall to her. 

"That's my girlfriend, you idio—" 

Bleep. Rewind. 

"I know," Sakura breathes. 

Naruto pops out from behind his hiding spot, dancing to his heart's content after grabbing the girl's hand and twirling himself. (Y/n) joins in dancing but that was the only key to Naruto's master plan. As (Y/n) was about to spin, Naruto yoinked her into the closet before slamming the door. 

He then looks to the camera, keeping a straight face. "And that... is how you do it in style." 

Bleep. Rewind. 

"I know." 

Naruto grabs (Y/n), sweeping her off of her feet. 

I thought he was going to run off again which would delay our production another 20 minutes (after what happened last time), but instead, the blonde swung the girl like a baby before tossing her into the closet like a bag of potatoes. 

"AH!" (Y/n) screeches after she lands in the room. There's a series of clashes and pops from inside there. 

"NARUTO!" Sakura accuses. "You don't just throw a girl like th—" 

"AHAHAHAHAHHAHA!" the girl erupts. 

I zoom the camera in on the girl crawling out of her ending spot completely drenched in some cleaning supply. 

"CAN WE USE THAT? I DON'T WANT TO REDO THIS ANYMORE!" she cries, still cackling like a maniac. 

The rest of the cast breaks out in laughter. 

I turn the camera to me. "We're not going to use this."

Scene 6: Sakura-Kaito argument

What the hell did Kaito ever say to Sakura? 

Well...

Meanwhile, Naruto and (Y/n) were chitchatting for the tape, Sakura and Kaito sat in the back while waiting for their turns to stroll out. 

"You gotta get me mad. Like, prepare me for this." Sakura holds up her fists. 

Kaito raises a brow. "Like how?" 

"I don't know. Annoy me somehow. Get me all riled up." 

"Okay." Kaito sits there, furrowing his eyebrows as he studies the girl, examining her for her request. Sakura grows uncomfortable under the stare but obliges. When he didn't say anything, I thought that was his plan to anger the pinkette. Until... "Your eyes remind me of cantaloupes." 

Sakura sits there for a moment longer, processing it before jolting upward. "Cantaloupes—?!" 

"CUT THE SCENE! CUT THE SCENE!" I screech. 

Scene 7: Hallway, cleaning

(Y/n) grabbed the bucket of water and tried to splash it on him, but Sasuke instinctively ducked. 

"Pfft, why'd you duck?" she said, shaking the bucket empty of water. "That wasn't... that wasn't in the script was it?" 

"Uh..." I look down at my paper. "No, it's no—"

When I look up, I see (Y/n) had placed the bucket on his head with a confident smile on her face. "I say our work here is done." 

Bleep. Rewind. 

(Y/n) spilled the entire bucket of water and exited the scene quickly, executing her roll fantastically. "Cut!" I shout. "(Y/n), that was perfect! Glad we finished that scene quickly." 

"What?" she stammered. "So... so you're saying the one scene I'm having the most fun in... we get it done in 3 takes?" 

"Yeah..." 

"Oh, come on! I like making Sasuke wet!" she shouted, looking up frustrated. 

Sasuke comes up behind her, soaking wet from the previous take. He had a smirk on his face as he leaned into the girl's ear. "So, you like making me wet, huh?" 

(Y/n)'s face popped red when she heard that. "W-wait! That's not what I—" 

The Uchiha stopped the girl from talking by kissing her. Then swiftly, acting as if nothing happened, he waltzed away to dry off. 

"That's... that's not what I meant..." the blushing girl stammered, walking in the other direction to calm herself down. 

Scene 8: Throwing lunch

It's (Y/n)'s confession to Sasuke gone wrong. The girl grabbed her bento and basically launched all of her food onto Sasuke. "EAT TRASH!" she shouted. 

"Hey!" her father yelled from offstage. "I made that!" 

"I'm sorry!" she yelled, keeping her same in-scene mood on. "I will buy you lunch!" 

"With what money?" 

"Yours!" 

I zoom the camera in on the disappointing look stitched to the father's face. "This girl is going to be the death of me." 

Scene 9: Antique shop

It was during the Antique scenes. Only... (Y/n) cost of a couple of thousand dollars from this incident. 

Almost. 

She trips over a rug in the shop and about faceplants into a shelf had our special guest not been there to save her. The nameless girl that (Y/n) met in the Antique shop in the story stood above her, holding the clumsy girl in her arms. 

"My... my hero," (Y/n) whispers. 

"Yes, my darling," the brunette breaths, an angelic look in her eyes. "Now let us run off into the distance to a faraway land where no one can destroy our love for one another." 

(Y/n)'s eyes dazzle as they stare into the girl's multiple-colored eyes. "Of course, and confess our undying love for each other and live happily ever after." 

"It's a dream come true." 

And with that, the female picks up our main character and runs offset, singing some love song I wasn't quite sure was appropriate. 

"Now this is the real ship I signed up for," Kaito hums with a dorky smile on his face. 

Scene 10 (Final): Statue

(Y/n) and Sasuke were filming the scene where he is stealing that horrid-looking statue from her. Only, this one was taken a step further. 

The girl follows her part, sliding down, twirling, and pretending that all of this was a dance. However, from there, the scene took a little detour. Just as our main character stood up, she began to sing in a deep voice.

"Now I... had... the time of my life..." she carols with a smile. Her grip held tight on Sasuke's as she continued to twirl and dance. "No, I never felt like this before..." 

"(Y/n), what are you doing?" Sasuke asks but doesn't stop moving his arm for the (S/n) to make easier and more graceful moves. 

"Yes, I swear... it's the truuuuth..." 

"This isn't in the script—" 

His girlfriend leans in really close to his face with a smirk. Sasuke doesn't react to this, or he's hiding his emotions really well, and just watches her come in close. "And I owe it all to you..." Then she whips back, letting go of Sasuke's hand and bouncing back, letting out less gentle moves for the more upbeat part of the song. She started to make "dun, dun, dunnanana" sounds in order to help auralize the song. 

"(Y/n)—" 

"I've been waiting for so long. Now I've finally found someone... to stand by me...! We saw the writing on the wall, and we felt this magical fantasy...!" The girl hops close to her boyfriend with a smile etched to her face. "Now with passion in our eyes, there's no way we could disguise it secretly!" Then she leans back and grabs his hand, alarming the boy. "So we take each other's hand 'cause we seem to understand the urgency...! Just remember!" 

(Y/n) shakes her shoulders, moving them with her feet timely, trying to get the stubborn guy to dance with her. "You're the one thing... I can't get enough of. So I'll tell you something... this could be love...! Because..." 

With that preparation, she steps back again, letting go of Sasuke who lingered for a moment, completely surprised by the energy of the teenager. For her outburst, she spun uncontrollably as she sang, "I~ had! The time of my liiiife! No, I've never felt this way before! Yes, I swear! It's the truuuth! And I owe it all to you~"

As her spins slow to a stop, you could easily tell the girl got extremely dizzy, teetertottering and about tripping over her feet. She had the biggest smile on her face as she took a step over towards Sasuke. Of course, her dizziness affected her sense of balance and she tipped forward. Romantically, Sasuke caught her and helped prop her up. 

"You're such a dork..." he muttered to her with a small smirk on his face. 

(Y/n) giggled at his remark. "You're the real dork for not dancing with me! Meanie..." 

He kissed her forehead and hugs her closely. "Whatever you say..." 

"Shit..." I squeal. "I'm definitely using this for a future scene." 

~ E N D ~

I'm gonna cry of cringe. - Premium, November 16th, 2020

I died. - Premium, January 26th, 2021


	28. XXV

It's been a couple of days since our make-up session, and Sasuke and I have gotten so much better. Even though we don't talk much, only when Naruto or Sakura has something to say to me (like their apology for shoving me into that room... yeah, they sure got it), we aren't neck-and-neck. So I'm calling this a win! 

After we resolved our small conflict, I suddenly found my life a lot more stress-free lately. Even Hinata, who doesn't even pay any mind to Sasuke, has noticed how much better I've been doing. After telling her what happened, she was extremely relieved we had gotten over the dispute, mentioning all of the positive changes resulting from ending our feud. 

"These sorts of changes don't happen between normal people." 

I force a cough. "Normal people? What am I, then? An alien?" 

"Quiet, you snob," she giggles shyly. "I was referring to how it might connect to, well..." 

"Well?" I query, tapping a finger against my cheek. 

"I have a feeling these positive changes have something connected to your Soulmate Mark."

My Soulmate Mark. 

I don't know why my mind never landed on that factor. This whole time, I've been experiencing weird rollercoasters of emotions, but I've hated the Uchiha for so long of a time, I just munched it with puberty and my CPS. I never really thought about the connections between a soulmates' relationship. 

As a result, I began researching similar scenarios online, finding their stories to be almost identical to the outcome of mine. It made me wonder how important this whole 'soulmate' thing is. 

I tried putting it past me as I looked forward to the rest of the week. Finals were now becoming a more serious topic, and then the project from Madara's which, thankfully, was progressing smoothly. The after school clubs are back in business, so there's no way I can simply let my mind off of it. There's too much going for me right now than some soulmate issue. I need to focus on my studies. Just, focus! 

💮 💮 💮

I can't focus! 

It's Friday, and I can't seem to get my mind off of it. The stories, the possibilities, it all made sense and that's why I'm overthinking everything. Why do I feel so much better just because I lost all of this hate for this one person who happens to be my soulmate? There's been no sign before, so why is there one now? 

My club just ended, it's an indoor elective, one that involves sitting. The school prohibits me from taking an athletic club claiming it 'risks my health', which they're not wrong. Even in P.E., there are signs that I need to majorly take precautions.

So, I walk the halls and down the stairs. I'm the last one out, as usual, so the only thing I hear is the echoing of my footsteps against the walls. The summer light outside still gleamed, but it was the golden afternoon glare that gave me a fuzzy feeling. 

Just as I was about to make a right turn at the staircase, squeaking and pounding echoed from the left. There are occasional shouts coming from the direction and random cheers. It didn't take me long to guess that it was the boys' basketball practice. They're going pretty late for practice. I wonder if it's because of their games, which start soon from what I've heard. 

I guess it wouldn't hurt to check out the team, would it? Naruto did ask me to drop by one of these times, so I guess I'll do him the favor. 

With a deep breath, I trot down the hallways and make it to the gymnasium. The echoing is a lot louder than before, conversations now understandable, instead of the murmurs I was hearing before. I don't bother opening the door, afraid that it would bring attention to me. There's a small rectangular window allowing me enough to peek into the large gym with a ceiling twice as high as the first floor. The floor is vast since we only have one usable gym, meant for several different sports offered here. Players of all sorts—volleyball, basketball, net sports, et Cetera—dotted the shiny floor. Shouts, squeals, smacks, bounces, cheers, and laughter filled the walls of the gym. 

My eyes slide from person to person, noticing how a few people were left putting down the nets for their respective sports, some others wiped down the floors, and two girls chitchatted as they put the equipment into a closet near the back. It seems all the sports are wrapping up on time, except for the boys' basketball.

From what I could tell, they were scrimmaging—I assume practicing their plays. My brother or dad will turn on the TV to watch basketball, so I know a lot about the sport. Before my CPS got serious, my family and I would head to the park and play several sports, one of them being basketball. I never got too into it, but then again, I was 7 years old when my life changed completely. 

I recognized most of the players on the floor. Naruto and Sasuke, obviously, and then, of course, Kiba, the most athletic kid besides Lee, who was guarding him. Although, I was taken back by the fact that the laziest kid played this sport. Shikamaru. Unless he was dragged into this because of Choji, which would make more sense. The other players, I've never talked to before, only have seen around in the halls. 

For moments, I gawk at how well they play, so smoothly. Their passes shocking me, leaving players open most of the time with their selective screens (picks), guaranteeing the perfect, open shot. That happened to be Naruto. I hold my breath as I watch the ball slide into his hands. I almost want to close my eyes, knowing how clumsy he is, he'll screw up and embarrass himself. 

However, I make myself watch as he bends down and prepares for the shot from behind the three-point line. Gracefully, he pushes off of his feet and pushes the ball towards the hoop, his shooting form almost perfect. The ball spins through its rainbow path before swishing through the hoop. 

Ba-dum! 

What the hell? I press onto my heart through my skin. That was clearly unnecessary of it, and look what it caused. Butterflies in my stomach. Just perfect. 

"Yes, Naruto!" Kiba exclaims and does a chest bump with his friend. "You better start making those shots in a game." 

"I'm sure he will!" Lee shouts with a clenched fist. 

The boys chuckled amongst themselves before—shit—they start walking towards me! Of course, this is the exit they have to use! All the other doors lead to outside. I'm so stupid! 

My heart accelerates drastically as I panic. My body doesn't move no matter how much I'm internally screaming. They haven't seen me yet, so if I just swoop out of here now, then—

Fuck it! 

I start running to my heart's content all the way until I reach the stairs. The boys won't come this far since they have to change first. And as long as I get out of the school in time, I shouldn't have to worry about them finding—

"Yo, (J/n)!"

—me. 

"(J/n), (J/n), (J/n), (Jjjjj/nnnnn)!" Naruto beams, sprinting down the hallway and not halting for me. 

I let out a high pitched, "EEP!" and jump into the stairs a slim second before Naruto topples me over. I felt my whole body go completely cold for the moments watching him come at me. His huge smile, his bright blue eyes, and his aura seemed to make it less terrifying. Had he not scared the living daylights out of me, then maybe I would've fallen for him again. 

But he scared me! Even my CPS screamed at the top of its lungs when seeing the blonde rush towards me. It was not ready for some new trauma. 

"N-Naruto!" I shout. The boy zoomed past me just as a dodged and tripped, falling face-first onto the floor. "Are you okay?" 

Basketball practice didn't drain him completely, it seems. The hothead pounced to his feet as nothing happened and skipped back over to me. 

Ba-dum! 

"(J/n)! Why'd you dodge?" he complains with a pouty-face. 

"I thought you were gonna run me over!" I accuse. A hand holds onto my collar hoping it would help me breathe. 

"Aw, really? There's no way I could run over a pretty girl like you!" 

Ba-dum! Ba-dum! Ba—Shut up! 

My cheeks flood with warmth from the compliment. Not only do I never really get complimented, but I've never received any sort of kind saying before, especially from my crush! I mean ex-crush! Ah! I can't handle these emotions! 

"I-I'm a p-p-p-pretty g-girl?" I manage to muster, steam rolling out of my ears. I have to cover my cheeks in order to hide my flustered self from Naruto. 

He raises a brow, obviously confused. Not only is he oblivious to my blushing, but he doesn't even realize what he said. "Well, yeah. How couldn't you be?" 

BA-DUM! 

"I-I-I—" spit it out, (Y/n), "—I gotta go! I-I'll s-see ya later!" With that said, I hop from my seated position on the stairs and try to escape this embarrassing situation. 

"Wait!" a voice calls as a hand clasps around my wrist, halting me. "We ride the same train, don't we? We should ride home together!" 

BA-DUM! 

"U-uh—" 

"With Sasuke, too!" 

BA-DUM! 

Wait. 

Why did my heart do that? I don't like Sasuke like that. I literally just got over my hatred for him. And besides, I like Naruto a lot more than I like him, so why is my heart acting strange? 

"I have a feeling these positive changes have something connected to your Soulmate Mark." 

I gulp loudly. "Uh..." 

"Just wait here! We'll be right back! Don't leave without us, dattebayo!" He turns on his heel, giving me one of his signature smiles and a wave, before taking off down the hall to his teammates. 

All that he left behind was a steaming (Y/n) about to lose her marbles after that conversation. With a heart running wilder than the animals in the Sahara Desert. She was left all alone to deal with these new, unfound feelings of hers that she should have to unravel somehow, leaving her to deal with this new ball of stress. 

She had no idea where to start.


	29. XXVI

"You should've seen me!" Naruto blurts out. "That 3 at the end was the best I had all season!" 

"One shot doesn't change your skill level, dobe," Sasuke utters and slightly glares down at his friend. 

"Yeah, because I'm so great!" 

"No, because you suck." 

I stifle a laugh from experiencing a conversation between these two. If I burst out laughing, I'm going to be in deep shit with those two. They will definitely find a comeback to shut me up, and I wasn't about to have it. 

"The train will arrive in one minute. Please stand behind the yellow line while you wait for its arrival. Thank you," the announcement woman reminds. 

"You know what, Sasuke? At least I made a 3 that practice. Compared to me, your shooting sucked!" 

"Is that so?" he questions. 

"You missed a layup, dude!" Naruto argues, folding his arms. 

If I haven't seen Sasuke flinch, today is the first time seeing it. He's so abashed, he refuses to say a word. That left the blonde smiling like an idiot. 

"You missed a layup?" I repeat, stupified. 

"Shut it," he demands, glowering at me. 

"Dude, even I can't miss those," I snicker.

"Watch what you s—"

"You play basketball?" Naruto asks, ending a war that was about to be fought. Thanks for the save. 

Caught off guard by the sudden question, I tense and look away from him. "Ah, no. I don't." 

Sasuke rolls his eyes. "And you're over there, talking as if you're the Allstar here." 

I stick a tongue out at him before smirking. "Just because I don't doesn't mean I didn't." 

"Oh, Sasuke, you better get some ice for that burn!" 

"It wasn't a burn," both of us say, Sasuke stoically, and me humorously. 

Naruto shrugs and walks past us, onto the train I didn't even notice had parched. I follow closely behind and stand next to him, Sasuke following a pursuit and standing next to me. 

"So, (J/n)—" 

"You have to stop calling me that," I sigh. 

"Does it annoy you?" Sasuke remarks with a smirk. Even I see the idea gleaming in his eyes. 

Instead of me answering, Naruto pokes his head closer to my face and nods. "She doesn't like it at all!" 

I would retaliate, but Naruto's sense of 'no boundaries' makes my face flush a tint of pink. I whip my head away from him to look out the window as the train starts rolling. 

"Anyway, where do you get off at?" he asks. 

I squint, processing the question slowly. "Uh... it depends." 

"Depends?" The boy finds a way to get close to my face again. Dammit. 

"If I have to pick up stuff from the conbini or not. If I do, then three stops, if not, five." 

"Oh, that's close to ours then! I'm nine stops!" 

I deadpan with a sweatdrop. "That's not close at all." 

Sasuke sighs. "He has a complicated situation." 

My eyes move to him, to Naruto, then back to him. "Complicated? How?" 

The Uchiha stays silent, his grip suddenly tightening around the handle above him. I can tell he regrets saying that. 

"Nothing!" Naruto forces a laugh to lighten up the broody mood. "Just that my stop varies sometimes." 

I sigh, shaking my head several times. "Whatever you guys say." However, my dismissal turns into confusion quite quickly. As I ponder on this one thought, I end up blinking several times. "Wait..." 

"Wait what?" Naruto queries, raising a brow. 

"Where are..." I start before sliding a finger over to my soulmate. "Where are your fangirls?" 

Sasuke freezes at the mention of 'fangirls'. He must be so thankful right now that he's not surrounded by crowds of over-obsessed females. Even if he was relieved, it still didn't answer my question. 

"Hehehe~" Naruto giggles and pokes my side, making me squeak. Like a chain reaction, he blushes at my squeak, which I blush at his blush, then he chuckles nervously at my blush, then I chuckle back. It would've continued on for hours had Sasuke not waved a hand in front of us and snapping us out of it. 

"You guys are so weird," is all he says before shoving his hand into his pocket. 

"No, those fangirls are weird for not being here." 

"Well..." Naruto starts, looking over to the side. 

My brows furrow together. "Well... what? What did you do?" 

Sasuke says, "He's doing me a favor." 

"F-favor—what?!" I stammer, utterly confused. "Why? And what was the favor? Please answer one of the questions instead of making me ask more!" 

Naruto scratches the back of his head. "Well... I kinda told all of the girls that Sasuke would meet them on the roof of the building..." 

Still, uncertainty reigns within me. "I'm guessing they believed you... which I find very odd." 

Naruto gasps and playfully punches me. 

Ba-dum! 

"I'm still not catching on, though. What favor?" 

The blonde next to me shifts uncomfortably before turning to look out the window like a helpless child being called out for making a mistake. Jashin, but his profile is just—Stop. I'm going to kill myself. 

"Since the dobe won't explain it, Naruto owes me," Sasuke plainly elucidates. 

"Owed!" Naruto corrects. 

My hand slides to the back of my neck to remove an itchy strand from continuing to pester my neck. "Why, though?" 

Sasuke stares at me, at a loss of words for my dumbness. I can just read his expression: Are you kidding me? "Do I need to spell it out for you?" 

I scowl at him. "Apparently, you do." 

He sighs deeply, rubbing his eyes. We may have made up, but our conversations still give off the impression that we're clearly annoyed with each other. I prefer this over the real arguments we had. Why? Because I'm able to smile at the end of it all, no matter how many insults are thrown at me. 

"Remember Monday?" 

"Yes, of course, I remember Monday. That was four days ago!" I whisper yell, trying not to alarm the others on the train. 

Sasuke's jaw clenches when he can clearly figure out that, no, I don't remember at all. "Not only is your hearing messed up, but your memory is jogged, too. Do you have some sort of mental disease I need to be aware of?" 

"Maybe. So what if I do?" I smirk, leaning in. 

"Tell me what it is so I can prepare myself in advance before joining in a conversation with you." 

"Why?" 

"Because not knowing you're mentally retarded beforehand makes this all the more frustrating." 

I gasp, pretending to be deeply offended. "Me? Mentally retarded? I'm simply deaf and forgetful. I am nowhere near being an idiot." 

"I'm not so sure about that," he implies, leaning down closer to me, basically getting down to my level. 

I puff my lips out, squinting my eyes, thinking of a good comeback to reply with. No verbal phrases cross my mind, but rather a physical occurrence did when a certain sign passed my peripheral vision. That one sign out the train window that lets me know exactly what's about to go down. 

Sasuke smirks, thinking he's won. Even his eyes shine with glory. Until it was quickly altered to a cross between shock and fear as we rolled past the aggressive turn on the way railway. Again, I've taken this route countless times to know exactly how to stand so I don't roll out the train. However, you'd think my classmates, who have also taken this train ride numerous times, would know what was coming up. 

They aren't so fortunate. Luckily, that worked in my favor. 

Once I smirk, Sasuke momentarily grows confused. I hadn't said any comeback, so why am I looking triumphant? I hadn't won. Yet. 

That's when the turn was upon us, a very uncomfortable veer pulled several passengers out of their pleasant seating and standing positions, one including Sasuke. 

He tipped while I just placed a hand on my hip, shaking my head and holding in my chortle from seeing the look on his face. Betrayal. 

Just as I opened my mouth to say karma, I was faced with another issue. Naruto. 

"Ah!" he basically screeches like a girl and tips over along with Sasuke, only Naruto wasn't holding onto anything. As a result, he grabbed the closest thing to giving him a chance at being stable. Guess who was the lucky object?

That's right. 

✨ Me!✨

It was like the car event and the fangirl-train-commotion combined! Naruto grabs a hold of my hand, pulling me with him. I may be strong, but I'm not strong enough to stay on my feet. His weight and the force of turning was enough to make me trip over my feet and lose my grip on the handle. 

This was the cliché scene I was afraid of the last time we had a similar incident. 

Moments pass as I seal my eyes, waiting for this all to end. My face tightens as I wish hard for the curve to go back onto its straight path and I can get back up. Unlike what I was expecting, my land was soft and warm, the compact only making my breath halt a little compared to the loss of air I'd get had I landed on the cold floor. 

The turn straightens out and I'm finally comfortable with opening my eyes and relaxing my face. What I opened my eyes to, though, made my face run red. I'm less than inches away from Naruto's face, noses almost touching. I lay on top of the blonde's body, who acted as a cushion to my fall.

That's not what makes my entire insides explode. It was his eyes. 

The pools swirl with more than just the usual curiosity that glistens on the surface. It's a wonder that flows through his orbs as he gazes at me, wide-eyed, in a way that makes me feel wanted. The awe and admiration in his blue that goggles at mine. What's more, his face was blushing a soft shade of cherry. Even if he felt overwhelmed by the situation, he made no effort to move away from me, only making my heart pound harder and harder. 

However, even if I was falling for this douche again, I can't let it get to me. Especially when the person right for him is Hinata, the girl who admired him for longer than Sakura to Sasuke. Yeah, that long. 

I hop up off the ground and offer him a hand, patently looking away, avoiding anymore eye contact. I have to contain myself when he grabs the hand I extended and pulls himself up next to me. 

"I... uh..." I start but that's as far as my voice lets me speak. 

"Hehe, that was exciting!" the boy cheers, scratching the back of his head nervously. 

"Yeah, that definitely..." I exhale, still not able to finish my sentence. I curse silently to myself and look away. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight with all these thoughts in my head. 

The train slows to a stop, thankfully at the right time. 

"O-oh, this is my... um..." God damn it, (Y/n)! Get a hold of yourself! "... stop."

My eyes lift to look outside, but they ended up falling right into Sasuke's. Unlike the times before where he glares at me, is annoyed with me, or the one time where he 'accepted' me during our closet makeup, these eyes are suspecting of something. Just after meeting his gaze, I instantly knew that he figured I had a thing for Naruto. Behind that glimpse of confusion for why I had fallen for the dobe, was mischief. 

He was definitely going to blackmail me. I'm sure of it. 

As I recollect myself, I put on the signature smile for the two guys who made this ride entertaining. With one step, I'm almost off the train. The only reason I stall is because of Naruto's call for the nth time this day. 

"Wait, (J/n)!" my crush calls out. 

I raise a brow, keeping my façade on as best I can. "Yeah?" 

"You should... come to our basketball game Saturday. It's at 10 a.m. if you... wanted to come." 

My lungs suspend in that second, hearing the first actual offer to a social event. I almost felt the euphoria breaking through my face after hearing him, of all people, to ask me to come and watch him play. It takes everything in me not to bounce around at this opportunity. 

So, while holding back all these unnamed emotions threatening to explode, I grin and say, "Of course, I'll come!"


	30. XXVII

It took 3 days to convince my father to let me go to the boys' basketball game tomorrow. Actually, it was more like seven minutes, but it wasn't an easy battle that just went over the hills, let me tell you! 

He was disappointed I made plans without his opinions first. I explained random things and made up excuses for me to go, using my epic card: socializing for once! I told him it would finally be my first engagement with a social activity that involved someone other than Hinata! With that, he let me leave the next morning prepared. 

I wear a semi-nice, semi-comfortable outfit for the game. Since it was a team sport happening, I wore some school merchandise to emphasize my school spirit. I bring a jacket in case the gym was on the chili side of things but didn't wear it out since it is extremely hot outside. It is nearing the middle of summer, after all. My dad made sure I had my phone, money, keys, my medicine which he could not stress enough, and other necessities that seemed unnecessary. 

"I'm fine, Dad," I whine with a bead of sweat rolling down the side of my face. 

He fixes the creases and rolls in my shirt, adjusts my hair to look just right, and brushes leftover breakfast off my face. 

"Dad—"

"(Y/n), I just want you to have fun. Be smart, be careful—"

"I—" 

"And try not to get hurt, okay? These kinds of things can get chaotic—" 

"Listen—"

"—and I want you to be cautious. Call me if anything happens—" 

"Dad!" I snap, my hands grasping his shoulders. "I'm fine! And I'll be fine! I'll be safe, careful, smart, all the above, okay?" 

He kisses my forehead gingerly.

"I love you, Dad." 

"I love you, too, baby-cakes." 

I inhale deeply, taking in his scent. "Alright, I'll be off now." My hand turns the handle and open the door, assuming we just leave it at that. 

"W-wait!" he calls. 

"Yes?" 

"Uh... look both ways before crossing." 

"Haha, of course," I reassure. "Okay, now I will officially be off." I pivot on my heel and head down the hallway to the staircase. 

"Remember to leave one earbud out when walking!" he continues to shout. "A-and leave a seat for the elderly on the bus! Watch out for bikes! Wait 2 seconds after the light turns green to cross! And don't get into trouble—" 

Pfft, I love my dad. No matter how overprotective he is of me. 

💮 💮 💮

I wasn't really prepared for the game to be popular. The entire gym was crowded from several teams. Apparently, it was a pre-season tournament to get a couple of teams to be familiarized with other schools and get used to playing different people. Had I known this, maybe I would've rethought my decision on coming here. 

Luckily, the time I arrived was just before the game would start. Warmups had already finished and people finally settled down for pregame announcements. As I enter the gym to find a spot on the bleachers, I saw our team huddling around each other like a team normally does before a big event. Since we're home, the other team's players are being announced which was enough to make me hustle my ass off to find a good spot to watch the game. 

After seating myself, it seems that it was our team's turn to announce their starters. Eagerly and intently watching, I hear the names being called, and the owner of the name jogging out to greet the coach and referees and then high-fiving their teammates as they waited for the calling to finish. 

The starters of our team are Lee, Kiba, Shikamaru, Sasuke, and oh, Hinata's cousin, Neji. Coming with knowing the starters came with two surprises.

One, Shikamaru. The laziest kid I've ever met is a starter in a very athletic sport. I wonder if it's because of his strategic plans and quick-thinking. The kid is awfully smart in both books and streets, so it would be no shock if he was selected because of how well he was able to see the whole court and react to the situation. 

The second was more of a heart drop. Naruto isn't starting? Well, I shouldn't be disappointed. Starters normally don't play the entire game, coaches will put their subs in. From the looks of everything, it seems that he'll get to play. At least... I hope so. 

Ten players divided into two groups line up at the center of the court to commence the jump ball. One of the refs holds the ball in between the two players within the center circle. It seems Lee is competing against a tall player on the other team for the first possession. 

With the starting whistle, the ball is tossed up into the air. Just as I hear fingertips hit the ball, a fuzzy feeling burst inside of me. 

That's when I knew I was going to be super engaged in this game. 

Lee's surprisingly high jump was enough to get him control over the ball. He threw it to the side to Sasuke while the other players took off in the intended direction. Kiba shoots behind players leaving him wide open under the hoop. Sasuke doesn't hesitate to pass the ball. Before the other team reacts to the pass, Kiba has already made the shot. 

Yes! 

Eight players hustle to the other end of the cour while one inbounds and the other dribbles the ball up the court. The player makes a pass over to the right and cuts through to the hoop. There are several passes and cuts before there's a real initiative going on. The athlete down in the corner of the court has the ball for a shot-fake, before zipping around his defender for a layup. 

Crap! 

Both teams put up a good fight, up and down the court, and before you know it, the score is 22-25, and we're down. There's less than a minute left in the first quarter and Neji is at the line for free throws. He takes the shot and swishes his first one, giving high-fives to his teammates. Kiba and Tenten are in between the spokes for rebounding while Sasuke and Shikamaru stay back. 

Neji misses his second shot and four versus three players fight to get the ball. Kiba strongly boxes out his players and gets a hold of the basketball and puts it straight up, making a shot under the hoop. 

Yes! Now we're tied! 

The other team inbounds the ball and rushes down the court in hopes of making a buzzer-beater. Our team puts up a really good defense, forcing a player to shoot the ball from way behind the three-point line. Luckily, he doesn't make it, and the clocks time runs out. 

There's a loud buzzer to let everyone know that there will be one minute before the game resumes to the second quarter. 25-25. 

"(Y/n)?" a voice peeps. 

"Hinata!" I greet with a smile on my face. "I didn't know you we're going to be here." 

The dark-haired female smiles sweetly at me before switching her attention to the court. "Well, our family wanted to see Neji play." 

I nod. "That makes sense. He's doing really good out there." 

She shrugs. "I'm glad you think so, but his dad on the other hand..." 

A chuckle escapes my lips. "Well, what were you expecting?" 

She smiles shyly and takes a seat next to me. Her eyes scan the floor and the Konoha team over by their bench. Gai, their coach, is relaying plays and strategies for the players to come out with this next quarter. 

"Naruto hasn't played yet." 

Hinata blushes. "W-w-w-where d-did tha-at c-come from?" 

I snicker. "We all know why you're here, Uzumaki Hinata~!" 

"U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-U-Uzum-mak-ki H-Hina—" My best friends fuse breaks and she tips back into the bleachers. 

"H-Hinata!" I burst out, trying to figure out if I should be laughing or be worrying right now. "Are you okay...?" 

"Hehe... Uzumaki Hinata..." 

My eyes widen, hearing how fluently she was able to say that name without completely exploding. The soft smile on her lips and the small cloud of red on her cheeks told me she was conscious, too. I am astonished. Who knew Hinata wouldn't stutter whenever Uzumaki Naruto's name came in the conversation. 

I certainly didn't. 

My head turns back to the court as the first buzzer goes off. Konoha makes a 'BREAK' chant as they clap their hands and come back out on the court, this time with Naruto. Neji was pulled out, though I wasn't sure why. 

Before I could think about the answers to those questions, I see Naruto looking at me with a smile. The dorky dude waves at me in front of everyone. My blood shivers as I feel some glances pass my way. Though, it really shouldn't matter. 

With a tense grin, I wave back. Gosh, this guy is such an idiot. He has to pay attention to the game, not me! 

My dorky smile morphs into a frown when I see Sasuke walks past Naruto and smirks at me. Of course, the two boys who really need to focus on the game are focusing on two completely different things. Naruto on me, and Sasuke messing with me for my unspoken feelings for Naruto. 

As he did, I felt a tingling sensation in my Soulmate Mark, but it didn't feel nice. It felt... painful. I shrug it off, dismissing it. I, unlike the two boys, want to focus on the game. 

The buzzer signifies the start of the game and puts my thoughts away on a shelf. We inbound the ball and head down to one side of the court to start our play. Compared to the last quarter, this play is a little different. They aren't making as many cuts and are using more screens. It didn't take me longer than two seconds to recognize this play. It was the same one I saw right before their practice ended. 

My heart squeezes when my mind clicks. Please, Naruto. You can do this...! 

Finally, the screens are set, leaving Naruto wide open for a three. The ball is passed to him to take a shot. He winds up, taking his time while the other team scurries for the block. Naruto has perfect form as he shoots the ball. The ball hurls towards the hoop and...!

It misses.

Thank Jashin for a good team. They were under the basket in seconds for the rebound. Sasuke got the rebound and put it back up, getting fouled in the process. Though I was already happy that the ball went through the hoop, my insides fluttered when I saw Sasuke pat Naruto on the back and speak in his ear. Naruto snickered at his friend even though he was upset about missing his three. 

Naruto hunches over the line and, of course, spares a glance at me, curious about my reaction. 

Ba-dum!

I throw two thumbs up at him with an encouraging smile. I mouth the words: You're doing great! which he smiles at. He just has to somehow find a way to make my heart burst 24/7, doesn't he? 

Sasuke makes his free throw shot, meaning the 3 points we missed were recovered. 

28-25. 

The game continued, but with a press from us this time. It was a 2-1-2 press, so dribbling won't get you out of this situation. Shikamaru was the one in the middle, running back and forth for traps, barely making it every time. What helped was him reading the passes, otherwise, he'd never reach his destination in time. 

Lee, another player helping trap, hits the ball out of the other player's hand and passes it to Kiba, who goes in for the layup. 

After making the shot, they act as if it's not a big deal, and line up for their press again. This goes on for a little less than a minute, yes, 40 seconds for the team to push Konoha back into their normal defensive stances. The players barely used their full ten seconds to get past half-court, but their tough defense didn't end there. 

Even still, their offense swerved past our own for a three. 

30-28. 

I tense up here and there, watching everything unfold. The more I watch, the more something irritates me. It didn't take me long to get annoyed with it. During a timeout, I decide to check out what was bothering me. It so happened to be... my Soulmate Mark. 

Now, something isn't right. 

Why would my Soulmate Mark bother me again? It's never had any sort of irritation before, so why is it starting now? Nobody is even looking at me. 

I couldn't dwell on the matter too long since the timeout had ended. The thought never leaves my mind while the game continues on. The aggravation doesn't take a break either. 

There's a minute left in the first half, and the score is still close. 47-46. With each shot we make, the other team still finds a way to keep up for 40 seconds, leaving 20 seconds left on the clock. Though our press was doing great at the beginning, our players were getting tired, and you could tell. Sure, they stopped them from advancing too quickly up the floor, but they still pushed through a lot faster than we'd like. 

The point guard of the opposing team wastes as much time as possible for them to begin their 7-second play. Pass, pass, pass, drive, stop, another pass until the board struck the magic number. Only, that magic number worked in our favor as well. 

Just as the shooter wound up for the shot, Sasuke was able to jump far enough and block it completely. The whole crowd erupts in a unanimous 'OOH!' after hearing the smack on the event, the opposite of what my Soulmate Mark did. With just enough seconds on the clock, Sasuke is able to pick the ball up and explode down the court for the last shot. 

He went up for a far off layup and did a floater as the clock strikes 0:00. Just as Sasuke was about to land, one of the following players accidentally ran into him, sending them both to the floor. What echoed in the gym seemed to stop time itself. 

My Soulmate Mark seized to bother me more as it suddenly shut down. Something was terribly wrong.


	31. XXVIII

A loud pop. 

There was an ear-breaking noise from somewhere on the court near where the two boys collapsed. My heart races as it tries to draw a conclusion to the alarming sound. It was loud enough to quiet the whole gymnasium for just a moment. Including me, everyone is on the edge of their seats, holding their breaths as they anxiously peer down at the court. 

My insides are shaking, my breathing hitched, shivers speeding up and down my spine—everything in me is going haywire. 

There were groans of pain from both players. Both of them curl on the floor, their breathing unsteady. Nobody said a word as they waited for both the fallen players to get up off the ground. Neither one of them did. 

Coaches from both teams rush to their player's aid before looking at each other and sharing the same look. It's a dreadful look—far from one that's reassuring. 

My heart sinks. 

Slowly, the crowds around me fill with small talk, either about what happened or something to keep their attention off the floor. Either way, it makes the room feel less tense. At least, it helps me feel less tense watching the coaches, another player from the opposing team, and Naruto help them up. 

Had the room still been silent, I'm sure we'd hear the grunts and light whimpers from both of the players. The one player from the other team got up with some ease. In his case, he just landed on his arm wrong, based on the way he was holding it. Not that I can see any bruises or blood, yet I still imagine it hurts quite worse than what people expect.

Sasuke, on the other hand, could barely stand up. Even when hopping over to the bench, he couldn't even step right. He wouldn't let his one foot touch the ground at all. The whole way with the help of Coach and Naruto, he was basically hopping on his foot. That's an immediate red flag for me. It only brought my heart down further in my stomach. 

"(Y/n)," Hinata's sweet voice echoes in my ear but slips right out the other. "(Y/n)?"

They sit Sasuke down at the end of the bench, away from the rest of the team as they whisper, obviously about him and if he's okay. The Uchiha buried his head in his hands, trying to hide his expression which was probably filled with immense defeat and pain. 

"Hey, (Y/n)." 

Gai holds up Sasuke's ankle and makes the boy put down his hands. A trainer at our school rushes over to our injured player and asks him to follow her commands. She tilts his ankle one way, but even the slightest made the expressionless Uchiha wince. 

Pain surges through my Mark and quickly ceases when his foot returns to its relaxed position. 

My heart stops. 

"(Y/n)? Are you okay?" 

The trainer moves his foot forward. Again, pain shows in both my Mark and on Sasuke's face. It repeats with every movement caused by the trainer, and every occurrence makes my eyes open more and more, my subconscious connecting the dots for me. 

The trainer mouths something to the already pained boy, but relief crosses his eyes for a second. Just seeing the mini flash across those frustrated eyes of his gives me a sense of reassurance. However, his expression quickly reverts back to an aggravation. The pain in his eyes—it looks all too familiar. It reminds me of the eyes I have to see every day. 

"(Y/n)." 

Every morning. Every night. Ones that struggle to keep it a secret but can't forever hide away. 

"(Y/n)!" 

Eyes that belong to none other than mine. 

A hand grabs my arm and yanks me backward. The force is enough to make me stumble on the bleachers and sit, not knowing I hand been standing for some time. Finally, my legs could rest after pretending imitate jelly from watching everything that happened, experiencing everything that happened. It all revolved around my Mark for some reason. 

"(Y/n), are you okay!" Hinata demands. Worry is all I can see in her lavender eyes. 

As if in a daze, I hesitantly watch her and lazily think of an answer. "Why wouldn't I be?" I breathe, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me. 

"You're pale—and hot, too!" Her hand moves across my forehead. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." 

"I... I do?" Sure, this experience is a little on the frightening end of things, but I didn't think that this ordeal was something to leave me appearing this physically disturbed.

Her eyes linger on mine for a second before jumping to the court and dashing over to Sasuke. I don't even have to follow her eyes to know who she's staring at. She's my best friend, of course, I'm able to read her just as easily as she can read me. 

Her attention glides back over to me, brows knitted in confusion. Questions swirl through her head, so many things she wants to ask me. However, she knows that the best thing for my distressed state is to let everything come out slowly. 

"Are you okay?" 

My lips open partly. Am I okay? Am I even thinking straight at this point? This entire week, starting exactly seven days ago has been a fiasco. My emotions I once had have completely altered, one for the better, and one for the guiltier. Not only that but my Soulmate Mark has been malfunctioning ever since Sasuke and I made up. I don't know what's going on. I can't even put a finger on where my thought process starts. Everything is just spinning out of control, my own questions, my own feelings, my own everything. 

"I don't know."

My eyes automatically dart back over to my soulmate resting one of his hands in his dark, messy hair. It looks as if he was midway running his fingers through his scalp, but because of the timed pound of pain in my side, he most likely stopped because of his ankle.

Naruto and the coach help Sasuke up to his feet with the trainer at their side. The member from the other team also jogs over to the four and they walk out of the gym together and out of sight. Even though I don't see Sasuke anymore, pain surged in my Soulmate Mark for a moment. 

Maybe my wince from the sudden pain alerts my friend because I could already feel she suspected something was wrong. Hinata pursues her lips. "(Y/n), what happened?" 

"I just..." My eyes glance down to a spot on my stomach not visible through the shirt. Subconsciously, my hand covers the spot where my Mark would be. There's a little bit of pain that lingers there, and if my intuition is correct, it's directly related to the pain Sasuke is enduring right now. 

The only thing is, I don't know how to compare this mild throb to the one he's experiencing, since our pain tolerances are just that different. Because of that, it worries me. 

"Does it have to do with your Mark?" she asks warily, pointing to my hand. 

I don't know whether to nod or not. Being my best friend, she knows everything I deal with when it comes to CPS or soulmates. Although she has neither, she's able to sympathize with me more than anyone else in the world ever could. She understands me like the back of her own hand. 

Yet, I'm hesitant. 

Is it because I don't understand this myself? Or do I not have faith in her? No, it definitely can't be that. I'm starting to drift over to the idea that I don't want to address the problem because I want to be able to figure it out on my own first. Why this connection suddenly started happening, I don't know. I want to, so I keep silent.

This is my problem, I want to figure it out on my own accord. 

After all, Sasuke's pain has never affected me or my Mark ever before, so it's startling to make an inference that it's finally connected now. There's something going on behind the scenes no one is aware of. It's unnerving how suddenly it's all happening now, all the more curiosity building inside me. 

I end up nodding. "Yes, but I'm fine. There's nothing wrong." 

"Are you sure?" she pushes again, eyes kind and full of concern boring into mine. "You know you can tell me anything." 

"I know," I reply. "I just... I'm really worried." 

Another ounce of pain stings my side. Hinata reaches out to comfort me, but there's nothing she could truly do. Instead of frowning at the pain, I end up smiling. Even during this bleak situation, it somewhat amazes me how the power of the Soulmate Mark can do that. Even though we're so far apart, it's incredible how my Mark still alerts me when something happens to him. 

For a moment, it makes me wonder how soulmate relationships cooperate if their Marks interact with each other from anywhere. Then again, both of them would have to have Soulmate Marks to understand. I don't even know if he has one, much less for me. 

The moment Naruto comes back through the door with Coach Gai trailing him, we share eye contact immediately. His blue eyes carry worry but they still hold its reassuring shimmer. As much as I wanted to stay seated and believe the look Naruto gave me, with the another wave of fire burning my Mark, I couldn't help but grow anxious. 

I need to know what's going on, what's happening, why I feel this way. Despite my spiraling head, I have a more pressing matter, even if it delays satisfying my troubled thoughts. 

I have to make sure he's okay.


	32. XXIX

I speed past the halls, swiftly dodging people and conversations. Adrenaline pumps through every vein in my body, mixed worries settling in my chest and stomach. Besides my curiosities about my Soulmate Mark, I had my restlessness about Sasuke's condition. 

A gulp grinds down my throat as I approach the room. The other team's player walks out with his coach, his wrist wrapped neatly. He looks upset but overall fine. That should give me hope for what I'm about to walk into. 

When I enter the room, Sasuke is perched on one of the exam tables. He has one leg propped up and the other extended which I assume is the injured one. Having just played two quarters straight in a row, the sweat on his body glistened in the bright white light in the room. His hair is messed up from him running his hands through it multiple times as a way to cope with the stress and pain. He looks exhausted. 

"I'll get you some ice, wrap, and pain medication. I won't be able to help you much further than that," the trainer informs as she clicks one more time on her computer. "You'll have to set up an appointment with a doctor. What you can do until then is rest. That'll mean no more physical activities unless your doctor allows you to do so." 

"Hn." Sasuke continues to stare ahead at nothing, unmoving. 

She sighs and gets up. "Stay here until I get you your things." When she heads over to the doorway, I tense at her gaze. "Hello. I'll just get some things for him. You can stay here if you'd like. Are you perhaps a relative of his?" 

I shake my head. "No. I'm just a friend." 

She nods. "I see. Well, take a seat. Would you like a glass of water?" 

"No. I'm good, but thank you." 

The woman smiles before walking out the door, leaving the two of us alone in the room. 

My eyes drift from the lady and over to the person I intended to see. 

"What are you doing here?" he asks, still not taking his eyes off the wall. 

I scoff, a little disappointed his greeting is that. "Checking up on you. What else?" 

"You don't need to check up on me." He only moves his black eyes to my figure. 

"I know. But..." 

He raises a brow. "But what?" 

My Soulmate Mark... "I... well, I was worried." 

"Hmph." 

Jashin, he's hopeless when it comes to conversation. I sigh while taking a seat in the corner of the room nearby him. "How are you?" 

"Take a guess." 

"Well, I know it doesn't look great. I could hear it in the gym." 

"Then why are you even asking?" he bites, glaring at me. 

I don't get irked by his tone. As someone who goes through a lot of pain often, I understand the feeling of frustration you get the more unnerving the pain is. I've never been injured for a sport, but I can slightly imagine how distraught he might be right now after his first half-game of the season. "I was hoping you'd be a little more specific with how bad it is." 

He rolls his eyes away from me, turning his head in the opposite direction of where I am. "It's just a badly twisted ankle. I'm fine." 

"That's good, I guess." 

"That's good?" 

"What I mean is that it isn't broken or fractured," I elaborate. "It's something you can walk off." 

"Well, I can't really walk right now, can I?" 

I keep up a good mood as not to add fuel to the fire. What he needs right now isn't arguing, but some light conversation, something to possibly help him feel a little better and take his mind off of things. "Hehe, yeah, I suppose." 

He just scoffs, looking down. 

I lean forward in my seat, hoping to at least get my face in his peripheral vision. I'd like him to see my closed-mouth smile. "You know, you were playing really good out there." 

The Uchiha doesn't make a sound, still staring at his lap. I don't know if that's the thing he wants to hear right now, but it should help him take his mind off his wound. 

He doesn't spare me a glance, though. He lets the silence envelop the room he's trapped in.

Giving up on trying to keep him seeing a happy face, I recline back into the seat. "I mean it, you know." 

"I'm not playing anymore, though." 

"Not today, at least. But your season isn't over. It's just the first game." 

"And I couldn't even get through the whole thing." 

"That doesn't mean you didn't contribute. You still made a lot of points, you still kept up a good defense, you blocked a shot!" I point a finger at him, a large smile forming on my lips as I relayed all his highlights. "I thought that was pretty cool. And—" 

Sasuke whips back, fully giving me his attention. He doesn't have a joyful look on, just a more irritated one. "Why are you here?" 

"To check up on yo—" 

"Save the lies for later, (Y/n)," he hisses, disapproving of my answer. 

I inhale through my nose to control my shaking and uneasiness. Even though our eye contact was strong and uncomfortable, I hold my gaze. I have to do everything in my power to support him at this dire time. I'm pushing through for him. "I'm just worried about you." 

"Sure, but what was your real intention, huh?" The player glares at me, his eyes piercing mine in a threatening way, testing my strength. To emphasize his silent anger, a shadow cast over his eyes. 

My head tilts to the side in confusion. "My friend possibly broke his ankle and I got scared. I wanted to make sure he was okay so I didn't have to stress about his wellbeing." 

"And you couldn't wait 'til after the game? Your friend was so important, you couldn't give him some time to himself?" His frame leads toward me so he's able to speak in a more menacing and quiet voice, also known as a deadly sign. 

Regardless, I suppress my fear and stand firm (or sit, actually). Instead of popping a vein, I put on a sad smile. "If this friend needed alone time, he can easily tell me to leave. I won't mind. All I needed was to make sure he was okay, and my needs were fulfilled." 

"So why are you still here even if I didn't ask you to leave? You could've easily stood at the door and asked me if I was alright and just leave. You're still here. Why?" 

"Because you're my friend." Some sort of layer shatters between us. He could tell, too, that my words broke some sort of tense atmosphere. "And it wouldn't be very persuading if your friend was only here for a split second. I'm still here because I took note that you weren't okay, and I'm helping you feel better." 

"I don't need help with anything." 

"You don't have to admit if you need help with something." 

"I don't need help," he rasps, rage sparking at his sides. 

"It's okay to need help—" 

"I told you twice, already. Don't make me repeat myself again." 

"You don't have to, I heard you already. But—"

"You're someone who needs help, too, but I don't see you asking anyone for it." 

"That's because no one's ever noticed," I sigh, pushing myself to my feet still holding a shaking smile on my face. "Look, I'll leave you if that's what you want. But not until the trainer gets back."

"What part of 'alone time' do you not understand? If the trainer is here, it takes away the purpose of—" He sharply inhales through clenched teeth, his hand flying to his leg.

Coincidentally, my Mark mirrors the pain. I ignore it, however. 

"S-Sasuke, are you alright?" I scram over to him. My hand hovers over his shoulder, but I don't grab it. 

After exhaling, he turns back to me, ready to yell. "Just lea—" 

"That's it!" I shout, throwing a finger at him and only stopping when there's a centimeter between his nose and me. "I've had enough of your attitude!" 

Just like that, his whole mood snaps to something else. There's no one emotion for this look, but I can read him well. What word is printed on his forehead is: whoops. 

"I am trying to help you but you keep pushing me away! I get you don't want help, but—" I scrunch up a bunch of sounds together, losing my dictionary in that second. What I said was the audible version of a keyboard slam. 

"What the—" 

"Mm!" I basically scream and boop his nose. "You had some sort of blank of pain just now! I saw it! And you acted as if nothing happened, you goddamn assho—" 

"Alright, I'm back with the—"

The pubescent teenager and I whip our heads over to the lady standing in the doorway, carrying the three items she went out to fetch just earlier. She blinks at our situation and opens her mouth to ask something. She couldn't. 

"Ice!" I cheer, changing the ambiance surrounding us. 

"Y-yes..." the trainer utters and walks over to Sasuke's ankle. I immediately back off to observe from a distance.

She wraps a thin layer of cloth around his ankle, careful as not to agitate it. Sasuke still winces at even getting brushed by the woman which only raises my concerns for him a lot more. Then she grabs the ice pack and lays it on his ankle gingerly, wrapping it around to cover most of his injury and stop further swelling. Overtop of that, she wraps another layer of cloth before overlaying it with the tape to seal it. 

"There. Try to keep off it." 

Sasuke rolls his eyes, noting the obvious. 

"Do you have any relatives with you here today?" 

"No," he plainly and aggressively answers. 

I'd hit him for having that attitude with someone who is, again, trying to help him. 

"Okay. I'll have to give them a call then. How did you come to school today?" 

"Train," he replies. 

She nods, a puzzled look readable on her face. "Is someone able to pick you up?" 

"No." 

My brows connect. In the garage, I remember him having a car. Surely his mom or dad would be able to pick him up. The only problem that comes across my mind is if his mom can't drive or his dad is in an important event. 

"Then I will have to call a taxi for you. Do you know anybody here who is willing to take you home?" 

Sasuke starts to shake his head. "No—."

"I can," I pitch in, gripping the side of my shirt. 

Her eyes dash to mine. "Are you sure? You're not related. I wouldn't want to ruin your day by having you take him home. I can get one of the authorities to—."

"Nope! I can do it, it won't ruin anything. I will gladly take him home." 

"What?" Sasuke stammers. "No, you won't—" 

I whip back towards him. "Zip it!" 

"You're not going to take—" 

"I said: Zip. It." My fingers act as a zipper as they slide across my mouth. I pretend to lock it and toss the key away. "I'm taking you home whether you like it or not." 

"No—" 

Angered that he's not obeying my clear message to shut up, I place a finger over his mouth. "I told you twice, already. Don't make me repeat myself!" 

He scowls at me. I can feel his lips turning into a frown against my finger. 

"Unless you plan to walk home yourself, I'm taking you." 

"I have just called a taxi to come and pick you up," the trainer informs. "They will be here in a minute." 

The Uchiha tears my hand away from his face. "I won't have any of this." 

"Listen, rich kid," I start, retreating my hand back to my side. "I don't care what you say, what you want, or whatever. I've decided this so now you just have to accept it." 

"I won't—" 

The trainer taps my shoulder. "I just need you to fill this slip out so we have a record of what happened." 

I force a cheerful smile to surface. "Of course." With that, I take the pen and paper and fill out all the required information against the wall. Sasuke's arguing is quiet and sounds like a blur. Zoning someone out isn't always the easiest, but it's not impossible.

"Here you go," I say, handing her the sheet and pen. 

"Thank you," she says and takes it. 

With that finished, I turn my attention back to the grouchy boy still in the same position he was when I first walked in. "Alright, buttercup. Let's get you up and outta here." I lean over so I could put an arm around him as a support to help him up, but he easily dismisses me. 

"I don't need your help." 

I deadpan. "No, you don't want my help, but you do need it." 

"No, I can do it myself. I'm capable." 

"Hmm? Alright, fine. Get up and head to the taxi on your own. We'll see how far you get." 

"Tch. Don't underestimate me," he tells me as he pushes himself off the bed. He puts his one uninjured leg down as his main support. From there, he appears to get up fine. Sure, he's basically standing on one foot, but his stance tells me he succeeded. "See? I got up just fine." He lours at me. 

I cross my arms. "Cool. You proved me wrong. Is your ego happy now?" 

"Shut it." 

My eyes roll to the side as I walk to the door before stopping to turn around. Hah. The guy is still in the same place, concentrating hard on something on the floor. "You coming?" 

"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting there." 

"Well, the taxi isn't going to wait for your slow ass." 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have a sprained ankle I'm not aware of? Please, do tell me how you're able to walk so normally." 

I cough. "If you accept my offer to help, you'd be moving at a quicker pace." 

He continues to grip the bed, not moving his eyes off the ground. At this point, his sweat has dried which is a sign that much time has passed. After staring at his uniform for several moments, while he still makes no effort to move, I finally have a click in my head. 

"You're stuff!" I announce. 

"What?" And this is what he looks up to. 

"Your basketball stuff. You know, your water bottle, shoes, warmup, change of clothes. You need that stuff don't you?" 

"Yeah, I'll have to go get that."

I throw my head back, laughing. "Haha, haha, ha. No, you won't." 

His face drops. "Excuse me?" 

"You haven't moved an inch from there. There's no way you're getting your stuff. I will." 

He shakes his head, irritated by my demands. "What. You're just going to walk into the boys' locker room and fetch my stuff?" 

I hesitate, pondering on the words 'boys' locker room'. "Guess so," I say with a shrug. "Okay, I'll be right back!" 

"Wait—!" the boy tries to command, but the girl had already taken off down the hall. He sighs deeply, head falling back to the floor. "This is going to be a while." 

💮 💮 💮

"Coach Gai!" I call, running up to the room he just walked out of. I'm lucky enough to catch him just as he's leaving so I don't look like an idiot trying to find him out on the court. 

The middle-aged man turns around with a large smile on his face. "Oh, (Y/n)! What do you need?" 

I slow my jog to a stop and take a deep breath. "Uh, I'm here to grab Sasuke's stuff." 

"Hmm?" 

"He has a badly twisted ankle and the trainer said for him to go home so I came here to get his stuff." 

"Oh, I see. I'll get one of the players to grab it for you." 

"Thank you." 

Gai turns back into the locker room as I wait outside. There are voices from inside, plenty of shouts from familiar and unfamiliar voices. For just getting a bag, the boys in there are creating quite the ruckus. 

"I have it!" a muffled voice yells, sounding much like Naruto's. 

"Thank you, Naruto!" Gai says with energy in his voice. 

I roll my eyes, claiming the 'manliness' of the two should not be combined any more than it has to be. 

Gai comes back out with Sasuke's bag. "Everything's in here. Naruto's good friends with him, so anything left behind, I'm sure Naruto will pick it up." 

"Haha, thank you." I take Sasuke's bag and sling it over my shoulder. Just as I turn to head off, Gai places a hand on my shoulder. 

"Do you know how long he'll be out?" 

"He has to check in with a doctor. Otherwise, he has to stay home." 

Gai nods. "Well, tell him he did well the first half he played and to get better." 

"I will. Thank you. Good luck with the rest of your game!" 

"Yes! Thank you!" The coach throws up a thumbs up and a corny smile that's so bright, it flashes in my eyes. Is that even possible? "We'll definitely win!" 

I turn my heel. "I hope you do!" I holler as I run off in the direction I came, speeding through the halls and back to the guy who claims 'he doesn't need help'. That boy is a pain to deal with. I wonder how Naruto and Sakura put up with him constantly if he's always so stubborn. I'm sure he's hurt himself before and has experienced the consequences of trying to go solo, so why does he continue to challenge himself? 

Finally, I make it to the trainer's office either hoping to see Sasuke at least made it outside of the door or took a step from the bed. When I peer into the room after not noticing him out in the halls, my heart drops. He hadn't made either of my theories true. He exceeded them. 

He was gone. 

"What...?" 

"Wait a second." 

I spin in the direction of the woman's voice. The trainer stands there with a look of confusion. She has a finger pointed at me, then back to the entrance of the school, and then back to me again. Her lips purse together before a look of realization takes over. 

"Where did he go?" I ask, not comprehending her expressions. 

"He's in the taxi." 

I cough. "Why's he in the taxi? I went to get his stuff and take him." 

Her eyes widen. "He said he was meeting you there."


	33. XXX

"He said he was meeting you there," she told me, those words enough to ignite my fury. 

"He what?" I spit, not meaning to be angry at her. 

"Oh no..." 

My blood boils under my skin. I know exactly what was going through that moron's head, taking my retrieval as a chance to escape. He clearly didn't want my help, and he was bold enough to leave behind my back. Was he just standing there that whole time knowing I'd have to get his stuff eventually? Was this his master plan all along? 

"Where is he now." 

She gulps. "He was out the front gate when I dropped him off. I highly doubt he's still there—Wait, where are you going?" 

I'm sprinting down the hall when I call back, "Going to find him!" 

The trainer sighs. "Does she even know where he's going?" 

Little did she know that the infuriated girl had a destination in mind. The one place she knew Sasuke would end up going to eventually, even if it wasn't in this instant. He can go anywhere he wants, but he's limited on money and places considering he can't even walk. It wouldn't make sense if he didn't go there. 

Who wouldn't go back home eventually? 

That was my deep-in-thought reasoning. In reality, it's the only place I know Sasuke would go to. I don't know the guy that well, how am I supposed to know if he'll run off to a park or some other relative's house? 

I make it out the front entrance of the school and dash to the gate. No surprise, nobody is here. 

Hmm. I could call a taxi and head over to his place, but how expensive would it be is the question? My money might not be able to cover it. I only brought enough for train rides and concessions.

I whisk out my phone and pull up his place in maps. His house is within walking distance, but I don't have the luxury of time to just walk, or run. Besides, if I'm out for too long in this weather, my CPS will sure take the liberty in jump scaring me. I have one issue on my hands already, I don't need another one. 

I tap the train settings and see that I can make it in half the time of walking. So that's my go-to option if the taxis are a definite no. 

Hmm. 

I guess I'll head by train. If I jog a little, I should shave off a good chunk of time. I won't make it home before he does, but I won't be too far off.

So, I speed past people, rush to make a light, or slow down to time myself just right so I don't stand and wait at all. I J-walk several times on lonely streets just so I have one less crossing to do. I quickly use my card when passing through the train entrance and hop two steps at a time to get to the platform. The train arrives at its predicted arrival, thanks to Japan being very strict on its arrival times. I casually get on and stand, allowing other passengers to take a seat. 

Now... I just have to wait. I can't exactly speed up the train, can I? Can't wait faster, right?

My adrenaline crossed with worry and annoyance keep my breathing unsteady. I'm unnerved, even the passengers sitting in front of me can tell. 

I can't help it. I'm disappointed in him. I'm mad that he decided to act on his own when he couldn't even just learn to tolerate the company. I went out of my way to make sure he was okay, offer him help, and retrieve his stuff all to make sure that the only thing he had to worry about was his injured ankle, and he left on his own..! He left on his own and he can barely walk. 

Why did he have to go on his own? What if he tries to make it to the door and falls and, don't laugh, but can't get up! What if the taxi driver is gone by then, so no one even knows that he's laying on the sidewalk and—

"Miss?" a voice asks. There's a light tap on my waist. "Miss, are you okay?" 

I force myself out of my head to see who's calling me. It's an older man nearing his late 50s. His hair is whitening in blotches. Wrinkles begin to set in his naturally concerned and happy round face. His eyes are a caramel brown that twinkled with kindness, thick lids covering most of the irises. He seems like he'd have a constant smiling face, but after seeing my state, his solicitude held him back. 

"Me? Oh, yes, I'm fine," I reassure, not wanting to worry this man more than he's already appearing. 

He shakes his head. "Come, sit here," he offers once he begins standing up. 

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Please, don't offer me your seat. Keep it!" 

The man frowns, upset with my response, but reluctantly takes his seat again. 

"Thank you," I sigh with relief. 

He merely nods but doesn't change his caring expression. "Are you okay? And don't tell me 'I'm fine'. You look stressed." 

I fake laugh, uncomfortable with how he's able to tell. "Hehe, just a little. There's a lot on my mind." 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

My chest collapses. A stranger? Asking to talk about my personal problems? That's a little weird. Sure he means well, but there's no way I can simply open up to him about my troubles. That's not his problem to deal with. I shouldn't stress someone I don't know with random matters. 

"You don't have to give me specifics. Just a gist." 

My countenance is all the answer he needs to recognize I'm skeptical. 

"I'm sorry, this must be weird for you. I'm Hanao Taki, a retired therapist," he introduces with an outstretched hand. 

I blink. A retired therapist? "I'm—" 

"You don't need to tell me," he reassures with a head bow. "You just looked like you needed to talk. I won't use therapy skills on you, I just want to help." 

"I..."

The train slows to a stop and a few passengers vacate the train car, one of which sat next to the elderly man. He takes the opportunity to pat the seat next to him as an offer. "Here. Sit." 

Uncertainty lingers in the air between me and my final decision. However, I did agree with his help, so I might as well. I take the seat and... wow. I had no idea how exhausted I was. My legs feel like complete shit. 

"What's bothering you?" 

"Just... my friend." 

"And what is going on between you and this friend?" 

"He's being difficult." I await the next question, but apparently, my answer isn't supposed to end there. "Well, he had a game and twisted his ankle pretty bad." 

He looks to the side of him with an 'okay, let me break it to ya' sort of look. "Just a word of advice, you're supposed to keep talking. Don't stop until you don't think you can continue anymore or it's not something you want to share." 

"O-oh. I see. Sorry, I've never really... done this before." 

He chuckles. "It's probably a little strange talking about this with a... stranger." 

I nod and revert back to the story, this time, keeping his advice in mind. "So I told you he twisted it really badly. He can't even walk on it without it hurting. I went to go check up on him to make sure everything was alright and he needed something. He's really, really stubborn, and he wouldn't take my help. The trainer offered for me to take him home and I said yes. None of his parents are there to do it, so I should, right? He's my friend and all, I had to make sure he got home safely. He wouldn't let me help him get to the taxi rendevous point. Whatever. He'll move when he wants to.

"While he's trying to take his baby steps without my help, I went to go get his stuff so they wouldn't sit at school over the weekend. Then I came back to find out he was gone and that he had taken the taxi off without me. Now I'm here, basically chasing after him." I gulp and rethink everything I said, coming to the conclusion that I may have said too much. 

"So, your friend went home without you?" 

"Yes." 

"And you're going after him even though he'll make it to his destination?" 

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I?" 

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. Why would you go after him? He'll probably be fine." 

My head sinks into my body. "I-I don't know, what if something happens and no one's there to help? Or, knowing him, if someone passes by, he'll make up an excuse to get people to not help him." 

"You're worried, then." 

"Well, yeah. He's my friend who I watched almost break an ankle. Why wouldn't I be worried?" 

"Is that all you feel?" 

I scrunch up my face. "No?" 

"Do you feel angry, upset, nervous, or other emotions like that?" 

"Well, I'm upset he never got to finish his first basketball game. I'm happy he played really well for the time he played. So I feel bad that he has to stay off his feet and can't play until he visits a doctor. He must be upset, too, that he couldn't even finish his game and won't get to play for a little while. I bet he's mad at himself, too. Probably regrets things, is frustrated with himself; and I'm mad at him for the way he's acting. He denies help every time he's offered it and would go as far as running away from it. Not only that, but he blames me for trying to help him and gets mad at me for it. I just—" My head falls into the palms of my hands. "I don't know..." 

"Are you and this person close?" he asks, resting a hand on my upper back. 

"Hmm? Not really, no. I mean yes. I—We have this... weird relationship." 

"Oh?" 

Que the elaboration. "I used to hate him up until a few days ago when we made up. So, basically, we've only been friends for five and a half days..." 

"Hm. It sounds your relationship has developed." 

"Developed? How so?" 

"Friends are normally worried about one another. Your reaction to this situation isn't unusual." 

"I'm not understanding." 

"From the sounds of it, your response is a little more detailed than with the people I've helped. You really care about your friend." 

Ba-dum. 

It's hard to swallow, and I'm not sure why. Butterflies that would normally set in my stomach fluttered over to a different spot in my body. My Soulmate Mark. 

What the hell is going on? 

"Of course. He's my friend." 

He softly chortles and leans back in his seat. "I remember when I was your age and I thought the same thing. Quite the Young Love." 

"L-love?" I stammer my face flushing as red as a tomato. "You've got it wrong. I don't love him." 

"You misunderstand. I'm not referring to intimate love. Love itself is not defined as just intimate. It's defined as someone having a strong feeling and affection for a certain thing or someone. You seem to show some signs of that." 

My blush doesn't die down in the least. "B-b-but—" 

He smiles caringly. "I can tell you're a very kind person, caring, and putting others before yourself. You have a natural love for people's wellbeing." 

My nerves settle down when hearing the compliment and reasoning. Now that I register his explanation, I don't feel as discombobulated. He makes sense of my feelings somehow, probably from the years of experience of being a therapist, so he should be trusted about how the term 'love' works. Sure, the intimate definition still is the most powerful and most known, but you have to really think over your nervous speculations to get a hold of yourself and organize your feelings. 

"You don't have to love him to have the strong desire to make sure he's okay before you are. You looked like a hurricane wept over your town and all you were worried about was getting to him in case there was some casualty because all that you thought about were the negative possibilities. Just from that, I can tell you care deeply for him, and the best thing to do is accept it now before procrastinating. Especially when he cares for you, too." 

Ba-dum! 

"What?" I protest, the last sentence hitting me hard. Sasuke? Caring? For me? I highly doubt that. If anything, caring about me is at least second to last on his list of views on me. After all the arguing, whether joking or not, there's no way. He pushes me away constantly, won't take my help, runs away from me. Like, where's the connection? Sasuke and caring are just two things that don't work. 

He smiles, noticing my confused state. "It may not seem like it, and it may not be much, but this person cares for you, too. Why else would he push you away? He doesn't want you wasting your time on him. He doesn't think he's worth you going out of your way to help him. In a way, he was trying to help you. Only, he doesn't know your limits." 

Ba-dum!

The man's words repeat over and over in my head, trying to make an understanding out of it. Thousands of feelings pile up into a ball in the center of my chest, my insides turning as light and fluffy as pancakes. My heart beats hard against the cage that's the only thing keeping it from jumping out of me. Even my Soulmate Mark has a soft tingling feeling. "But he—" 

"Oh, it looks like this is my stop," he interrupts. Abruptly, the man stands up and grabs hold of the handles above his head. The train slows to a stop as the lady announces his stop. Before he takes a step away from me, he turns his head back to me. "People have different ways of showing affection. Sometimes it's hard to see. From everything you told me, both of you care for each other. So don't stress about him, try to understand him." 

I open my mouth to shout wait, that I wanted to talk more, that I needed more advice, but I found my head blank in questions for the first time. Sure, obvious ones like my Soulmate Mark still remain, but those I'd have to figure out for myself. So, instead of yelping, I say, "Thank you, Hanao-san. I appreciated your help." 

He smiles, adding the natural sparkle to his beautiful caramel-colored eyes. "It's no problem at all. I wish you the best. Goodbye." 

I wish for the best for me, too.


	34. XXXI

Hanao-san strolls off the train without glancing back. He disappears behind the crowds of people entering or exiting the train. The last I see of him was his snow-colored hair that ruffled in the light breeze of this hot Saturday afternoon. What a kind man. 

It sounds your relationship has really developed, his words echo in my head. From the sounds of it, you really care about your friend. Quite the Young Love. 

My face grows red again, of course, since I still can't handle the fact that he used 'love' to define us. But... 

I can tell you're a very kind person, caring, and putting others before yourself. You have a natural love for people's wellbeing.

My eyes land on my hand and I continue to repeat his last sentence: You have a natural love for people's wellbeing. Do I? Am I the type of person who cares deeply for people? I didn't really think I liked people all that much. I'm an introvert, so people aren't really my thing. I can't even save myself in conversation, so how am I supposed to save them? 

Especially when he cares for you, too.

I almost wanted to laugh, but I couldn't find the strength to believe it as a joke.

It may not seem like it, and it may not be much, but this person cares for you, too.

It's hard to see Sasuke as a 'caring' person, but after hearing Hanao-san's theories, I begin to think otherwise. 

Why else would he push you away? 

Maybe he just doesn't like me that much. Maybe he's an introvert himself. Maybe it's not the way I'm imagining it—

He doesn't want you wasting your time on him. He doesn't think he's worth you going out of your way to help him. In a way, he was trying to help you. 

Silence fills the voids in my brain. That alone was enough to shut me up, no matter how hard I believe it to be wrong. 

Just from that, I can tell you care deeply for him, and the best thing to do is accept it now before procrastinating. Only, he doesn't know your limits. 

"Hmm..." I hum out loud from my heart continuing to pound with amounts of energy. On top of that, my Mark keeps acting up. So many different feelings all packed into two letters embedded on my skin. Ever since the first day I've had this, all the interactions with people, I've never undergone so many changes. Just when I think I'm getting to know myself, it's quite the opposite. So many mysteries I need to be answered, puzzles to be solved, and theories to be proven. I just need some sort of clue to understand everything happening to me. 

"M-miss?" a small girl by me asks. Her bright wide purple eyes glance anywhere but at mine. "C-can I sit...?" 

"Oh, yes, of course," I stammer and stand up, leaving the seat to the girl. I shouldn't have even been sitting in the first place. 

Once I collect myself, I notice how the outside is very still. I take not the train isn't moving. 

Oh, right. My stop. I check my phone to see when I need to get off. As I read the word, I hear the lady announce her same things as usual. Then she says it. The stop I'm supposed to be getting off at. 

I've never felt more scared in my life as I bolted off the train just before the doors closed. I barely make it in time. Relief washes over me, but my momentum continues.

My body has its blood pumping oxygen throughout all of me as I dart past people and make it out of the train station. I take quick glances at my phone as I scurry down the streets, crosswalks, and everything altogether. It isn't until I recognize the street I'm on do I gasp and sprint faster. 

I can tell you're a very kind person, caring, and putting others before yourself. You have a natural love for people's wellbeing.

My breathing gets heavier and heavier. I notice there's no taxi on the street, so either Sasuke is already here or isn't coming home at all. My mind goes with the first option out of hope, but not out of reason. 

I round a post and bolt it up to his sidewalk and basically slam into his door. That will come back to me later. 

"Sasuke!" I shout, pounding my fists on his door. "Sasuke, I know you're here! Open the door!" 

Silence follows. I don't even hear a peep from inside the house. Only the whistle of the wind keeps me company, the rustling of their plants giving off a lonely mood. 

"Hey! I came all the way here! At least open the door and let me know you're okay!" 

My fears start becoming true when I still hear nothing from the inside. I glare at the door before me and slam a fist hard on it. Why is it that I sacrificed all of this to come and check on him and he's not even home? Why does chance mess with me like this? 

I don't understand. 

"Fine! Don't open it," I yell, attempting to trick myself that he's still here. "But I'm not leaving this spot until you open the door, got that? I'm going to wait right here!" I fold my arms across my chest and hold my ground, still glaring at the door.

By now, my breathing is under control. Running that long-distance exhausted me. My knees buckle under the weariness, my legs feeling less than sticks at this point. Helplessness settles inside me. He won't open the door any time soon. I doubt he'll open it at all. 

Giving myself a break, I plop to the floor and rest my head against the door and frame. Fatigue overcomes my body for the first real-time today. It's even enough to make my eyelids droop a little... 

No!

I jolt back to fully awake. 

I have to wait until Sasuke either opens the door or gets home. I can't have myself falling asleep right here with a possibility that he might not be alright. I can't let something as measely as sleep overcome me. I have to fulfill my goal. 

Ah, I know what I'll do. I'll text my dad about the situation, let him know I'll be late since I'm checking up on my friend. Just give specifics so he doesn't ask so many questions later on. This way, I can make use of my time while I wait to see him. Press send and then wait for a convo to begin. 

Just wait for something to entertain you.

Just something to keep your mind off of him. 

From the sounds of it, you really care about your friend.

Just something... to keep you...

Especially when he cares for you, too. 

Awake.

💮 💮 💮

"You're quite talkative, Sasuke." 

The boy in the passenger seat just grunts and keeps his head turned out the window. 

"Twisting an ankle isn't the end of the world. You'll be back on it again in a day or two." 

Still no valuable response from the basketball player. Sasuke's entire body language radiates 'don't talk to me' energy and the person talking to him wasn't getting the message. 

"At least you played a good chunk the first half. That's a good way to start your new season." 

"Not really the best way to end a half." 

"Someone really is on the negative side this morning, aren't they?" 

"Shut it, Itachi," Sasuke growls and moves to face his brother, showing him a dark glare. 

The driver called Itachi merely chuckles at his passenger's mood. "Well, I'm glad you came to me for assistance. I won't be able to stay for long." 

"All I needed were the keys. Once I'm inside, you can go." 

Itachi shakes his head and turns the car into the driveway, cruising part of the way up. He doesn't live here, so he doesn't need to park in the garage. Besides, he'll be gone in moments anyway. 

The older male opens his door and walks around to the other side to help his grumpy younger brother. "Alright. Up we go." 

As much as Sasuke hates it, it's his only option to be able to get into his house. Even if it means relying on his brother. Itachi supports Sasuke, and together they head to the front door. 

Since Sasuke left his stuff at school, he didn't have his keys, which is why he headed over to his brothers for assistance. However, his brother would only lend Sasuke his keys if he let him help the injured boy to the door. He was in quite a predicament. 

As the boys make their way to the door in their respective 'walks', they notice something, or rather, someone at the foot of the door.

A girl rests against the doorframe. Her appearance is clearly disheveled, strands of hair in random places, some sticking to her skin. Her knees are propped up close to her chest where one arm sits. That arm angles up to the girl's head to keep it from falling. Her chest lightly rises and sinks in slow, fluid motions, signifying that she is asleep. Next to her is a bag familiar to both of the boys, a basketball bag. 

"Well," Itachi starts with a raised brow. "Isn't this a lovely surprise."


	35. XXXII

A/n: Just wanted to let you all know, there's no actual plot to this story? It's just a neverending set of cheesy and stupid arcs to satisfy myself. AKA: these next chapters are going to be the cringest. Have fun. :))))))))))

A sheet of soft fabric drapes over my body, enveloping me with a cool yet warm aura. It feels as if I'm lying on a cloud. The smell of freshly washed sheets wafts through my nose and I inhale a deep breath of it, enjoying its scent.

My body slowly starts to awaken itself. I feel myself gaining control and I try to move. That only results in a lazy and defeated groan. I feel like complete shit. My muscles sore, especially in my legs. Not only there but in my lower back as well. I wonder why.

I open my mouth for my big morning yawn as I force my limp body to turn over. I raise my arms above my head and push against the bed frame and bend my body oddly to make sure I get all my limbs and fat extended to their fullest. I tense all of my muscles so much that it starts to hurt. Still, once I finish, I feel like I was in heaven with how relaxed my body is. This feels great.

"Mmmm..." I groan again as I leisurely open my eyes and find myself staring at a ceiling. It isn't kerneled like my bedroom. The surface looks extremely smooth to touch, almost satisfying in some way. I would get up to touch it, only reality finally hit me.

I shoot straight up with wide eyes, staring dead-straight at an unfamiliar room around me. The bed isn't mine or anyone's I know. None of the people I know have such a fancy duvet for their bed, nor are the beds this large. The white dressers, nightstands, lamp, chair, desk—none of them are mine. This isn't my room.

The last thing I remember from yesterday is sitting on Sasuke's porch, waiting for him to either come home or open up the door. What I don't remember is going into the house, meeting someone, or anything like that at all. I must've fallen asleep. I remember feeling extremely exhausted and the lack of memory thereafter deduces I passed out. Since I don't remember meeting anyone or enter a house, there's only one conclusion to sum this entire situation up.

Kidnapping.

Fear overcomes me instantaneously. With that, my body goes into a panic. I scream.

At the top of my lungs, I shriek. My body scrambles to get out of the sheets and out of the room and, hopefully, to the front door. I never made it past getting out of bed. My feet entangle themselves in the sheets enough that when I try to hop out of the bed, only my front half tips forward and onto the floor with a loud thud.

Yes. It did hurt.

That doesn't stop me, though. I have limited time to head on out of here. So I kick off the bedding and trip getting up. I prepare for impact knowing the floor is going to be the thing I meet, but a pair of arms catch me instead.

"Are you okay?" a deep and unfamiliar voice asks.

My eyes slowly move to look up into a pair of similar black eyes. Dark hair frames his face and goes to the length of his shoulders, some of it tied into a low ponytail. Had I not concluded this a kidnapping, maybe I'd have different opinions on him. However, I'm terrified.

I scream again when I realize I'm in the arms of my kidnapper.

The guy looks very alarmed at my reaction to him and drops me accidentally. "Oh, I'm sorry—"

"AHHH!" I continue to wail as clamber away from him in terror. "Kidnapper! Get away from me!"

Apparently, my movements are futile because of how easy the man was able to pick me up and hold me down on the bed. "I'm not a kidnapper," he reasons, a sweatdrop rolling down the side of his face from being assumed that. "You don't know me, but—"

"RAPE!" I screech again as a call for help.

"—I'm Uchiha Itachi. I'm Sasuke's older brother."

I pause my struggle when wearing two familiar names Uchiha and Sasuke. I have to blink in order to keep those words in my mind and process it. "Wait. Sasuke's older brother? He has one?"

"Ah, I see he's never mentioned me," he sighs, standing up and offering a hand which I'm hesitant to take. "But, yes. He has an older brother."

"Wow. I never would've thought."

"The looks didn't give it away?"

"No, actually."

He smiles whilst leading me out of the bedroom. "How did you rest?"

"With my eyes closed," I reply immediately without even thinking about what came out of my mouth. My smart-ass attitude is just a first language to me that I don't even realize how bitchy I sound.

Itachi chuckles. 

We reach the steps where I stop to rethink what I had said, a look of shock and regret splashing face. "Oh my—I did not just say that. I'm so sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

My head drops into my palms, messy hair falling all around me. "We just met and I already threw that comment at you."

He pulls my hands away from my face, revealing a sincere smile. "That just means you trust me enough already."

I sigh. "I guess, but... ugh. I'll blame it on my sleep. Which, by the way, how long was I out for?"

The older version of Sasuke shrugs. "A few hours. Five? Six, perhaps? We aren't really sure how long you were sleeping for when we found you."

"Six!" I screech with a look of panic on my face. "So you're saying it's around 6 o'clock right now?!"

The guy furrows his brows and looks down at his watch. "It appears so."

"FUCK!" I burst which startled Itachi enough to finally show a look of emotion on his face other than the forced expressions he's given me. "My dad is going to kill me! I'm really sorry, but I have to go—"

"Your dad already called."

"HE DID? SORRY! I MEAN, he did?" I stammer, hating myself more and more with every word I say. Damn, the adrenaline from assuming this was a kidnapping is not helping my situation.

"Yes. We discussed things and decided you will be staying here the night."

"Oh, okay."

Wait. 

Hold up.

I'm what? Staying the night? But why? Sure, it's 6 o'clock, but it's summer and broad daylight. I can easily make it home safely. So why did Itachi and my dad decide on my staying here the night? 

My dad agreed, which is weird because my dad is not the type of person who just lets me stay at people's houses for little to no reason—such as sleeping on the doorstep of a friend's house because they were dumb enough to forget their bag. (And was arrogant enough to think they didn't need my help.)

"Wait, what did you say?"

The other Uchiha understands my state of confusion and sighs. "Your dad said he was caught up in a traffic accident so he couldn't pick you up."

"For six hours, though?"

He shakes his head. "He can't anymore because of the storm. I offered him you the night here and that way when I drive home, I'll drop you off on the way."

I blink several times. "Storm?" I ask and put a finger to my chin. "I don't remember any forecasts for a storm today."

"There wasn't," he simply replies. His body angles away from me and heads down the staircase to the main floor (I hope). "Come on down."

There's no hesitation when I skip down the stairs, full of energy from all the clusters of emotions before. I almost added a little dance to my descending as I hop down each step until I reach the hardwood floor. I follow Itachi into the living room and over to the window. I squint at the bright lamp radiating an orange light that gives the room a warm and fuzzy feeling. It's calming.

Itachi opens the drapes to reveal the horror of the outdoors. Hard, pouring rain pounds the ground, giving off the light tshh sound you hear when there's a rough downpour. So much water crashes on the earth that you can barely see anything through the mist from its spray.

"Goodness," I heave in awe. "It's terrible out there."

"Mhmm," Itachi hums as the drape falls back into place. "Neither me nor your dad wanted to drive in this. It was safer to keep you here."

"Well, how long will it last?"

"From the forecast report, it's supposed to go all night."

I cross my arms. "Yeah, well I don't really trust the forecast reports anymore."

He shows his small smile but doesn't respond. He just studies me carefully. I grow uncomfortable under his intense stare, his eyes barely moving from feature to feature. My insecurity with being gazed at starts to throw my insides into a hurricane. It brings me to the point I want to explode.

I must've made visual signs that I'm uneasy. After all, my shoulders shrug upwards to protect my head, my hands fidget with each other, interlocking fingers, and my eyes glance anywhere around the house but at him.

"Sorry for staring."

"N-no. You're fine," I squeak, still keeping my eyes focused on the corner of a table.

"If it helps any, you are very pretty."

Ba-dum!

My face, in less than a second, pops bright red. My cheeks and ears burn red at his compliment. Staring makes me anxious, but those sorts of comments do worse damage. It gives me this weird tingling sensation in my chest and stomach, butterflies dancing in my gut, and an unexplainable feeling under my throat that prevents me from talking straight. It happens rarely, of course, but the impact is extremely memorable.

"T-that's r-r-ridic-culous," I stutter, bringing a hand up to my face. "You m-must be joking."

"I'm not. Of course, the mess you have here ruins it a little."

"M-mess?" This snaps me back to a semi-normal state. I'm able to look at him again and notice his finger pointing to the top of my head. My hand follows it, not expecting the feel of hair from a foot away from my face. I already suspect the issue. I vocalize a fake whine and drop my head in defeat. Every morning, I swear.

"Luckily, you're not going out anywhere. You might scare Sasuke, but I believe he's seen worse." Itachi slips past me and into another room of the house I haven't yet explored.

"Oh, my Jashin," I sigh. That boy gave me too many emotions in the span of five minutes. "What was the point of him saying that..."

"Because you look like a nightmare."

How my prayers have been denied. In disappointment, I look up at the ceiling as if to ask Jashin: Why?

I only turn my head to the figure standing by the doorway, an appearance entirely different from when I last saw him. He's out of his uniform and instead in sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. He has his same unemotional facial expression as he stares at my hairdo—I mean me. What's new really keeps me from making a snarky comeback.

"Looks like someone got a new feature, too," I reply stoically.

"At least mine helps."

"Hey. This hair can scare those pedophiles away. I call this a positive."

"If that's what's gonna float your boat."

I cross my arms. "What does that mean?"

Sasuke shakes his head and uses his newfound crutches to make his way over to the television station on the other side of the room. There, he sits on the coffee table in front of the TV and controls the remote from his spot.

"You know the couch is meant to sit on, right?" I point out, walking over to the couch that sits behind him. "Unless the table is a much better seating place, then let me know so I can see for myself."

Sasuke doesn't respond. Instead, he just turns his head for a moment to glare at me before turning back to the TV and finding something to watch. He goes through channels faster than I'm able to process. Of course, he is covering the majority of the screen, so that may be affecting my intake.

"Where'd you get crutches?"

"At the doctors."

"You went to the doctors?" I query.

"No. I just pulled these out from the kitchen."

I force a laugh. "Funny. That was really funny, Sasuke. You're just a jokester, aren't you?"

"I definitely preferred you sleeping."

I scoff and whip my head over to the window, finding the perfect balance between the sounds of rain and the hushed noises of the television. It's peaceful. "What did the doctor say about your ankle?"

"It's fine."

This guy—. "Elaborate."

He turns around, eyeing me with that annoying look of his. "What's it matter to you?"

"What's it matter to me?" I baffle with a small chuckle. "You did not just say that."

"Unless I'm imagining—"

"You!" I start as I jump from my spot and lean in close to his face just to make sure he has a good look at the anger piled inside of me. "I'm trying to be nice to you, and you're still being an asshole! Dude, I just got over hating you. Are you trying to change my mind?"

"Well, you stayed away, so I guess I preferred that."

I drop my head. "I literally make sure you're okay, get your stuff for you, and you leave me there! Like I'm an idiot! Do you realize the troubles I went through because of your stubbornness? I ran here because I had no idea where else you'd be just to make sure you were okay!"

"Why would you have to do that," he demands with an arched brow.

"I..." I start but can't find it in me to finish.

Seemingly satisfied, he turns back around to the TV. "Well, you made sure I was okay. You can go now."

I gape. Is he just gonna leave me with that kind of response? He has to be kidding me right now. Preferred me when I was away from him? Doubts why I just want to check up on him? Is he just disregarding my kind intentions? Was our previous relationship easier for him? Based on his responses, he must really want me to go.

Let's make that a reality, then.

"Fine."

If he wants me to go home so badly, I will show him how determined I am, even if I have to trudge my way through the storm. I have shown him how much I care about his wellbeing and offered him tons of help only for it all to get shoved aside. If he's not willing to accept any of that, then there's no point being here any longer.

Let's put each other out of our miseries.


	36. XXXIII

If Sasuke wants me to go home so badly, I will. 

Whatever is going through my mind is pretty crazy, not gonna lie. Doing this is going to be the next dumbest thing I do today, besides coming to the Uchiha household. Not only will it affect my CPS, but it's incredibly stupid. No one in their right mind would up and walk out the door into the crashing, violent rain. 

I'm not in my right mind. 

First I need to get my bag which will most likely be in the room where I slept. 

That's where I head. Hopping up two stairs at a time, I slide to the familiar doorway and see the fancy duvet I was under a few moments ago. I do a quick scan of the place, looking for my EK and shoes. I round the bed to find my shoes with my stuff sitting on a chair next to it. 

With a little 'a-ha' for completing my discovery, I slip on my shoes and sling my kit around my shoulder. Although I didn't plan for it to rain, I have a jacket with me. I originally brought it for the chilly temperature in the gymnasium, but it will be used for another case today. 

I hesitate at the bedroom door and contemplate my decision and if it's really worth going through and leaving. 

It's what Sasuke wants, though. 

But what about what I want? 

But what about what he wants. 

You're not helping. 

Remember what the old man on the train said? my inner self coos. 

Yeah, I'm starting to doubt it though. 

Doubt what? 

That Sasuke 'cares' or whatever. 

What makes you doubt that? 

You're being bipolar. 

I'm being you. 

Shut up. 

No, you. 

You're not helping me make a decision. 

Was I supposed to? 

Then what was the point of you showing up? 

I don't show up. 

You know what I mean. 

Do I?

I mentally scream at my inner, multipersonality self. 

What I was trying to say is you don't remember everything that man said. He didn't just say 'oh, yeah, he cares, too.' No, he said that he didn't think you were worth his time. 

I doubt the Uchiha has a place in his ego to think that. 

Because you know him so well? 

The conversation ends here. I don't dwell on my inner me any longer and stroll down the hallway in hopes that by the time I make it to the front door, my decision is final and there are no self-doubts lingering within me. 

I storm down the stairs as if I'm not trying to make it obvious I was upset or wanted to be heard. No, not at all. I adjust the strap on my emergency kit as I maneuver through the rooms in the house. Regret already builds within me as I approach the front door. 

Anxiety explodes that ball of regret as I listened to the crashing of the rain. My limbs shake a little as I reconsider my stupid idea of busting out of here. 

I already wasted enough time here. This all happened because I fell asleep against their front door. If only I had stayed awake, I wouldn't have had to worry about this stupid mess. I wouldn't have woken up in a bed that wasn't mine to make a terrible first impression with Sasuke's brother, Itachi.

That and I wouldn't have been frustrated with both me and Sasuke for even attempting to make amends with our bond. He dismissed my efforts like it was a mistake. It infuriated me to feel like going out of my way to make sure he was okay was nothing but wrongdoing. 

Was my kindness invisible to him? Or is he just that shallow to even reciprocate a few of my feelings? Even after we pushed through in the closet to get over hating each other, he still treats me like I'm a nuisance. To him, I'm just another bother. Just like all of his fangirls. 

These arguments alone rebuild my confidence. Sure, I feel bad for walking out unannounced and for the slight chance of making Itachi feel bad, but I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I'm not going to wait for him to start acting right and show commensurate results to my kind efforts. 

With a deep breath, my hand tightens around the handle. Anyone would hesitate. In the end, I tear open the door and instantly come face to face with the roaring weather. The wind already blares, attacking fast with the sharp sprinkles of water. Itachi wasn't lying when he said it wasn't safe to drive. 

And I'm considering walking through this. Brilliant job, me. You really just blow yourself away, don't ya?

Well, there's no turning back now. I take one step outside and my leg is already soaked. What's more, the water is beyond what you would expect to be cold. The mix of wind and cool water makes it feel like I'm freezing. 

This is definitely a mistake. 

Just as I close the door, there's a loud call from inside. Had the rain not drowned out all sounds, I would've turned to respond. What they called out was muffled, so there was no point in pausing my mission. Not that they could stop me anyway. 

I inhale deeply and stare into the haze surrounding everything. I can't see a single thing. The lampposts barely gleam in the dark mist; the fuzzy yellow dot couldn't shine on anything. Still, I can see at most five feet in front of me. That's enough to go by, right? 

As I embark on my harsh journey, I let out a small whimper. The moment I hopped out from under the portico, the wave of pressure increased immensely. I'll admit, the rough increase surprised me, but that shock morphed into a chuckle as I realized that what I'm doing really is a terrible mistake. 

At the end of the driveway, I run fingers through my drenched hair and feel that the floof I had before flattened on my scalp. Though, the rain didn't rid of all the tangles in my hair as my fingers got stuck in a few. 

It was hard trying to find where to stop before I tripped on the curb and onto the road. Luckily, the headlights of a passing car helped me keep my distance. It was as the car was driving by did I finally accept that this would be difficult to walk through. Hopefully, once I get to the main road, I'll be able to navigate better. 

My skin starts to sting from the violent rush of raindrops. My CPS hasn't screamed at me yet, but I know it won't take much more before I'll be in deep pain. I signed up for this, though, so I might as well push through it. 

I notice my vision starting to haze and the sound of the storm growing. Small hairs on the back of neck stood up. Right as I was about to predict what was going to happen, light zapped the air, a bolt of electricity webbing its way across the sky in less than a second. The rumble afterward is able to shake my insides. 

I'm not normally afraid of thunder. It's just that I'm alone out in the pouring rain, vulnerable to its strikes. 

Through the rains' screams, there was a sound of screeching, almost as if it came from breaks of a car. Sure, plenty of vehicles drive up and down the street, so noticing one isn't that big a deal. It just frightened me to think that I was walking in the middle of a driveway and was in the car's way. 

That sudden panic causes me to whip around. I wish I didn't. 

"What are you doing?" the Uchiha shouts over the rain's cry. By the tone of his voice, I assume it was the person I wanted to talk to the least. 

"Going home!" I yelled back, crossing my arms to create some body heat. After rubbing my hands on my arms, I realize how hard it is to do that. The wet mixed with the cold did not work well together. 

The lights in his car turn on so I can see the interior of the vehicle, although blurry. "No, you're not!" 

"You're not gonna tell me what to do!" 

"Get in the car!" 

"Why?" I stammer, whipping my head away from him. I keep walking. The hum of the car alerts me that he's still following me. "Leave me alone!" 

"Just get in the car!" 

"No! You wanted me gone, so I'm leaving!" 

"(Y/n), this is not what I meant!" 

"Oh, what did you mean then?" I storm up to his car and peer through the opening to glare at him. "Did you think I was just gonna teleport?" 

His dark eyes pin me and I can tell he's more than just annoyed with this task. My best guess is that Itachi told him to come after me knowing that all three of us would get in trouble. "Get in the car. We're going back." 

"So now you suddenly want me back?!" 

"What are you talking about?!" 

"It's clear you don't want me around, so why keep me, huh? First, you didn't want my help! Second, once I did check on you anyway, you told me to leave! Third, apparently, you preferred when we hated each other because we were apart. Four—" 

"What the hell." Sasuke rubs his eyes before facing forward again. "Get in." 

"I told you no—!" 

"I'm not gonna tell you again, so get in the car!" he threatens. 

Something about the way he said it made me feel guilty. I stand in the rain for a little while longer, taking in the sounds of nature. Sasuke isn't looking at me, but I'm certainly staring at him. It doesn't take a smarty to tell he's pissed. 

I sigh through my nose. Reluctantly, I open the car door and plop down in the passenger seat, not minding that I was making a puddle. I don't bother putting on a seatbelt as I fold my arms and stare out the now-closed window. Instead of watching the mist grow outside, I focus on my reflection. 

Water drips from my eyebrows and onto my eyelashes. Rivers flow down my cheeks. All of the raindrops slither to create a waterfall from my chin. The air conditioning works its wonders by blowing its cold on me, drying blotches all over me, and leaving shivers to take over me. My clenched jaw is the only sign that shows I'm trying to contain it. I fail miserably. 

I didn't travel far, so we pull up in the driveway fairly quickly. As soon as we pass into the garage, the rain immediately sounds distant. I look behind me but the garage door was already closing. 

"Get out," Sasuke grumbled. "We're done here."

**Author's Note:**

> This story is also available on Quotev and Wattpad if those platforms work better for you. Thanks for reading!


End file.
